


The Fight Remastered

by simonxriley



Category: Call of Duty (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Roller Coaster, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Inner Demons, Secrets, Sibling Rivalry, Smut, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 20:35:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14221311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simonxriley/pseuds/simonxriley
Summary: Cpl Elizabeth "Liz" Walker finds herself in the middle of an ongoing war. With a secret about working for the enemy get's out, the only reason she's alive is because she's Elias Walker's daughter. After losing everyone she cares about, she goes back to the enemy and to the man that might be the only person left that cares for her. Now back with the enemy, Liz finds herself in a bind that might be more treacherous than the first.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: As you can see I've decided to rewrite this fic. I just wasn't satisfied with the first 7 chapters and it didn't help that this was one of the first things I had ever written. I plan on changing quite a few things as well, so it's gonna be different than the 'original' version. I also plan on keeping the other version up until I have rewritten all the chapters than the story is gonna be deleted. Anyways hope you enjoy!

Liz looked through the scope on her honey badger at yet another group of hostiles. She never wanted this life. She thought she would be in some ivy league college getting her PHD in astrophysics. But no, here she was in the middle of 'no mans land' with her older brothers, Hesh and Logan. And their dog Riley. They were tasked by their father to investigate Federation activity in the area and rendezvous with a recon team. Once Riley and Logan took out the 4 guys they advanced forward. 

"That was our 3rd group in 20 miles. There might be more of them, keep your eyes peeled." said Hesh 

"What do you think they're doing? I thought this place was a waste land?" asked Liz. She brought her honey badger up to eye level and scanned the left flank for any tangos. 

"I guess that's why dad sent us here. To find that out." said Hesh 

"Alright. Don't be a smart-ass." said Liz 

Hesh chuckled at her smart remark. They advanced forward, stopping briefly when they came to their old childhood home. That was now almost completely destroyed. It was bittersweet to say the least. Moving through their old home Hesh spotted one of his old guns. It was propped on a table, someone must have found it. 

"Hey! Check it out. I'd never though I see this thing again." Hesh said when he found his old MTS-225 shotgun. 

He holstered his gun and they moved forward. They looked out over one of the craters of what use to be their home. All the places they use to frequent as kids were gone. The only thing left were their memory's. 

"Let's go. This place is depressing the hell outta me." said Hesh 

Logan and Liz nodded. They came upon another building with some tangos. Stacking up against the door, Hesh had Riley go in and snuff out any tangos. Seconds later the door busted open and 5 tangos came out. They easily took them out. Advancing forward, they came to yet another Federation outpost. Liz was getting a little annoyed with how many hostiles there were. It took some time to clear out the enemies, it was a good thing they had their beloved pooch with them. A few klicks away they came to a huge enemy convoy. They went prone in a down helicopter and had Riley infiltrate the dig site. The tall grass kept him hidden from the enemy and Hesh, Logan and Liz watched through the camera on Riley's safety vest. There were a lot of enemies and a lot of fire power. Riley came up to a guy standing on a truck bed. Apparently his name was Rorke, at least that's what the American soldier that he had the hostage said. 

"Stalker-six we're heading to your position, don't start the part without us." Hesh said over the radio. 

They made it through the enemy dig site without being spotted. A few yards away Riley got a whiff of something and took off. Hesh, Logan and Liz all sighed and chased after Riley. When they saw Riley he was growling and barking at a bush. Neither of them could tell what he was barking at. Hesh grabbed his safety vest so he couldn't bolt off again. Then what he was barking at came out of the bushes. Wolves, lots and lots of wolves. Hes let go of Riley and brought his gun up, Liz and Logan doing the same. Liz fired in the direction of some wolves but didn't see the one coming up on her right flank. The wolf tackle her to the ground, knocking the honey badger right out of her hand. She held back the wolf from trying to get her throat and tried to reach for her hand gun. The wolf was too strong to hold back with one hand. Then Riley tackled the wolf off of her, a small sigh of relief came out until she saw the wolf going for Riley. Killing the wolf and watched Riley get up, he had a little limp but nothing to bad. 

Liz looked ahead and saw about 5 or so more wolves in front of her. She fired her hand gun in hopes of them running away. It didn't work, the closet one ran for her. Liz fired her gun until the clip empty. Just as soon as the wolf leaped for her, someone came out of no where and tackle the wolf. Catching her breath, she watched him fend off the wolves with his pistol. Liz was still on the ground processing what just happened, he walked over to giver her a hand up. 

"You look lost?" asked Merrick 

"We're not lost. We're looking for you, Captain Merrick." said Hesh 

"Walker! You said you have something for me?" 

"Yeah. We saw some Feds moving a guy to fire base Charlie. Is he one of yours?" asked Hesh 

"Yeah, Ajax. We don't have much time. You guys can stick with us. But you do what I say, when I say, copy?" said Merrick 

"We copy." said Logan 

Making their way to fire base Charlie. They once again found themselves against heavy resistance. Merrick and Keegan pushed through like it was nothing. Then again, what else would you expect from a couple of guys who work almost exclusively in 'no mans land'. Luckily it didn't take long to get to fire base Charlie and locate Ajax with the remote sniper. Now the only issue was to find a way in, that wouldn't cause anyone to lose their life. 

Acquiring an enemy vehicle and planting a series of detonation charges on a enemy convoy heading into the stadium went off without a hitch. Even getting into the stadium went better than Liz planned. Unfortunately, it was all short lived once they were inside. There were at least 20 or so tangos inside the atrium. Advancing forward took some time and it didn't help that they needed to move more quickly. The mission wasn't going to terrible, thank god for gas grenades. In the end they were to late in saving Ajax. If things weren't already going as Liz planned would have liked, her day was about to get a whole lot worse. They acquired an enemy helicopter and were making their way back to Fort Santa Monica. After Hesh radioed in that they had enemy transport their dad came over the comms and said a heavy Federation force was attacking Santa Monica. 

"Did he just say Santa Monica is being attacked by Federation forces?" asked Liz 

"Yeah. We need to get back and help them hold the beach." said Hesh 

"Fucking great." 

She sat down with a huff in the enemy helo they acquired and rubbed her temples in hopes of releasing some stress before making a stand against more enemy forces.

xXx

To say things went good was an understatement. They went bad, very very bad. They held the beach for as long as they could until every able body that was still alive was told to retreat. They were coming up to the street where the command station was and Hesh thought it'd be best to see if their dad made it out. But the closer the got, the realized it was on fire. They took out the few tangos by the building and pushed forward. Hesh started to open the garage door and Liz looked at him in disbelief. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stay out here and help the men fend off the rest of the enemies or go inside a burning building to find their dad that she knew wasn't in there in the first place.

"Are you seriously going in there?" asked Liz

"We have to make sure dad got out." said Hesh who was holding the garage door open so Logan and her could go through. 

"Hesh we know he got out. He's not stupid you know." 

"We don't know for sure." said Logan 

Liz groaned. "Fine, fine. We'll look, and what if he;s not here?" 

"Liz can you stop bitching for once and just help." Hesh stated 

"I'm here aren't I." 

"Will you children stop it, we have bigger issues to worry about." said an annoyed Logan

Logan was right, of course. Coming up to the stair case leading up to the top part of the command station, it was blocked by a large piece of collapsed ceiling.

"Liz help me move this. Logan go prone and see if you can find a way up." 

Logan made it though just in time for ceiling to collapse some more and block Hesh and Liz's path to the stair case. 

"Logan go find dad. Liz and I will find another way up." 

It didn't take long for Hesh and Liz to find another way up. Thank god for another staircase. They ran up the stairs just in time to see Logan getting attacked by a Federation soldier. It was only one and Hesh took him out in a pinch. Logan only had a small knife wound. Trying to figure out what to do since their dad wasn't there and it was starting to get a little too dangerous to stay there. The roof broke apart a few seconds later, they all looked up to see two guys grappling down. Liz could tell one was Keegan, but could tell who the other one was. 

Once they were all safely on the chopper Liz and Logan sat down to catch their breath. Hesh on the other hand had to start a fight. She understood he wanted to find dad but now was not the time. They were just rescued. Merrick easily threw Hesh down in the spot next to her. He pulled down his mask to reveal his face. There was no trace of the face paint he had on and he had a beard. It looked like things were about to escalate until it was broken up by the mystery man. 

"Our dads still down there. And we're not leaving without him." said Hesh 

"That's real admirable of you. But your dads not down there."

Liz's eyes widened when she recognized his voice. It was their dad. She was surprised Logan was the only one that figured it out. It took Hesh until he took off his mask to realize who it was. If things weren't already tense, she would have gone into hysterics. Now was not the time. 

"Dad......you're one of them?.......you're a Ghost." said Hesh 

"Try the Ghost. That's your commanding officer." said Merrick before he walked towards the front of the chopper where Keegan was. Elias motioned for them to stand up. Having their own little family meeting per-say. 

"You guys have no idea how hard this was for me. Once I make a choice there's no turning back. You three still have a lot to learn, but you've past all your tests. 

Welcome to the Ghosts." said Elias

Welcome to the Ghosts played inside Liz's mind for a moment, processing what her dad just said. Well processing everything that just happened in the past 5 minutes. Ghosts. They were officially Ghosts. Her thoughts came to a halt when Merrick walked over asking what they we're gonna do about Rorke. 

"Rorke. That's the guy hunting the Ghosts? Right?" asked Hesh 

"Yeah, he's good and he know's how we operate." Said Elias.

"How's that possible?" Asked Hesh,Logan and Liz at the same time, all equally curious.

"He was one of us." said Elias

Hesh, Logan and Liz glanced between one another, they all had a slight look of shock on their faces. So Rorke was a Ghost.......but why was he with the Federation? That question went through Liz's mind. Before she could ask her dad, he went into the story of why he was with the Federation. 

12 years ago he was out on a mission with Rorke, Merrick and Ajax. To find an eliminate General Almagro. It was called 'Return To Sender'. They ended up finding and eliminating Almagro. Unfortunately the chopper they were on crashed and Elias had to choose between letting him fall and saving the others or fall with him into the rushing water below them. He chose to let him go.

Liz sat back down to think about everything he just said. So Rorke was out for revenge. It made sense to her though. With the lose of the beach, they were making there way to a safe-house, more of a small base really. Once there, Elias showed the their rooms. Liz was very happy they all got their own. She didn't know how much she could take if she had to share a room with them much longer. 

After a very brutal day. Liz decided to call it a day. Deciding to take a shower since she knew she smelled like sweat and blood. She watched the dirt fall from her body and down the drain. Once she was clean enough to her liking she shut off the shower and got out. She dried herself off and put on a pair of sweats and a tank top. Not wanting to wait for her hair to dry, she put it up in a bun. Climbing into bed, she curled up and fell asleep.

xXx

She woke up suddenly and looked at the clock. So much for a good nights rest. The clock read 3 am. 

"I guess it wasn't such a good idea to fall sleep so early." Liz mumbled to herself. She got up and brushed her brown hair and put it back up in a bun. She knew she probably wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep, deciding it was best to head to the rec-room for some coffee.

The first thing she smelled when she opened the door was coffee. Thank god she thought. Then she noticed she wasn't the only one awake. Further investigation she noticed it was Merrick. He glanced up from what he was doing when he heard the door open. 

"Hey! You're up early" 

"Yeah. Can't sleep." She made herself a cup and walked over to him. She pointed down at the chair across from him and said "Do you mind?" 

"No, not at all." 

She sat down and took a sip of her coffee. It wasn't bad, but it could be better. 

"You're up early too." 

"Yeah. I slept earlier but still have to do this shit." Merrick motioned to the paperwork in front of him.

"Better to get it over with." 

"True. It's nice to put a face to a name though." 

"Oh. So you have heard of us? Cause I didn't know about any of your guy's existence until before the mission." 

Merrick gave her a bewildered look. "Really? Your dad never mentioned anything about Keegan and I?" 

"Nope. We grew up on the origin story of the Ghosts but we never really believed it. Until now that is." 

"Wow. Then we should do a proper introduction." He held out his hand for Liz to shake. "I'm Thomas. You can call me Tom or Merrick, whichever you prefer." 

Liz shook his hand and said. "I'm Elizabeth. You can me Liz." 

"There. Much better." 

Liz gave a small chuckle and took another sip of her coffee.

"Yes it is." 

"So how are you settling in?" 

"Good. I think I'm more happy with having my own room than anything." 

"That's good. I take it sharing a room with your brothers isn't much fun?" 

"God no. Logan snores and Hesh mumbles in his sleep. Please don't tell them I told you that, they will never let me live that down."

"Your secret's safe with me." 

"Thanks." 

Liz took another sip of coffee while he went back to his paperwork. She found him to be quite attractive and wouldn't mind getting to know him better. They spent the rest of the early morning talking about anything that came to mind. Merrick's time when he was a SEAL, Liz's childhood and her time as a Ranger. She didn't like bringing up her childhood that much. It made her sad. But she found herself laughing about it with Merrick. It was nice, she liked it. Everyone eventually started to come in. Liz glanced at her watch and it read 6 am. People were starting to wake up. Merrick didn't seem to mind so Liz stayed where she was. She didn't want to stop the conversation just yet. They talked a little more until Liz's eye caught a familiar face. 

It's Hesh.


	2. Chapter 2

Hesh walked into the cafeteria and looked around the room. Everyone was sitting and eating their breakfast. He glanced around the room another time and spotted Liz talking with Merrick. He didn't know what to think of it. A part of him was still the over protective big brother and the other knew Liz was a responsible adult. Or it could just be nothing. Hesh grabbed his food and made his was over to the table. 

"Am I interrupting anything?" 

"No, no you're not." said Merrick. Liz could tell by the tone of his voice he was lying. Hesh sat down next to Liz. 

"I'm surprised Logan isn't with you. He's not one to skip breakfast." 

"He's with dad. I over heard them talking about something in the hall." 

"Ah." 

"So how long have you two been up? 'Cause it looks like it's been a while." 

"A few hours." stated Merrick 

Hesh nodded and took a bite of his food. The silence between became awkward. It was some what hard to flirt with someone when your older brother is sitting right next to you.   
"As much as I would like to stay. I still have a shit load of paperwork to do." said Merrick while getting up from the table. 

Liz fought back the almost audible whine of disapproval when he got up. "Okay."

She watched him leave the room and let out a sigh. Luckily Hesh was to preoccupied with his food to notice anything. 

"What's with you and Merrick?" 

Liz rolled her eyes and said. "Ah. Here we go......and nothing. We were just chatting." 

"I know that look Liz. It's the same look when you find someone you would like to hook up with." 

"And? It doesn't mean I will and it's not a bad thing if I do." 

"I never said it was. But he's not some random dude. He's our field commander and dad's right hand man." 

Liz sighed. "Look......Hesh. I'm not gonna hook up with him, calm down." 

"Yeah, for now." 

"Oh shut up. I'm gonna go see dad before this gets anymore awkward." 

"Alright." 

Liz got up from the table and left Hesh there with his thoughts. Walking down the hall she spotted Logan talking to Keegan. She chuckled to herself at the scene. Liz could easily tell Logan was flirting. And Keegan seemed quite into it. She gave both of them a quick wave and a smile and went on her way. Rounding the corner to her dads office she stopped dead in her tracks. Liz never thought he would see him again. Staff Sergeant James Rogers, her ex boyfriend. She didn't know what to do or if she wanted him to see her. Luckily he was a little preoccupied talking with someone. She was about to turn around and backtrack when he spotted her. 

"Liz?" His eyes lit up and a huge grin plastered over his face. The same smile she fell in love with years ago. She could help but smile back. 

"Hey." Liz walked over to him. He was just how she remembered him. His sandy blonde hair was longer than his usual buzz-cut. She found the longer length to be more attractive on him and his sapphire blue eyes pierced into her brown ones. 

"What are you doing here?" 

"Stationed here now. I'm a Ghost." 

"Wow, you're a Ghost? Well congrats, I knew you would always make an elite group." 

Liz smiled. "Thanks. I can't believe it either. I wasn't expecting to see you here." 

"I wasn't expecting to be here. I got reassigned a week ago." 

Liz nodded. She never truly got over him. The only reason they broke up in the first place was because he got reassigned and they thought it was best to go their separate ways. Now here he was, standing right in front of her. Every single feeling she had for him came flooding back in. Little did she know it was happening to him as well. 

"Wow, really? I thought for sure you'd be stuck at the other job forever." 

"Ha. Yeah. I hated the other job. I'm happy I got reassigned." 

"How come you hated the other job?" 

James looked down at the ground and fiddled with his hands. It looked like he was searching for the right words to say. He look back up and met Liz's eyes. 

"Cause it made me lose you." 

Liz's heart skipped a beat. It's been 2 years since they've seen each other. And they spend 3 years together before their lives got turned upside down. She loved him. still does. But she didn't know what to say, she wanted to say something though. 

"It made me lose you too." 

The look on his face said he wasn't expecting her to say that. He smiled but it quickly disappeared. 

"I'm sorry but I need to get back to work. Uh would you like to have lunch together?" 

"I'd love too. When should I meet you?" 

"Noon. That's my break." 

"Okay. I'll see you then." 

"Okay. I'm looking forward to it." 

"Me too." 

She watched him walk away. A million thought were going through her mind. What would happen between them? Liz didn't want to rush things, would it even be considered rushing? They were together 3 years and were sharing a bed, even though it wasn't aloud. She sighed and headed for her dads office. Liz knocked and opened the door peaking her head in before fully entering. 

"Hey sweetheart." said Elias with a warm fatherly smile. 

"Hey dad." 

Liz sat in one of the chairs with a sigh. Elias could easily tell something was wrong. 

"What's going on?" 

"You won't believe who I just ran into." 

"Who?" 

"James." 

The look on his face indicated he didn't even know he was here. "James, as in the James?" 

"Yup. We're having lunch together." 

"You are? And I didn't even know he was here." 

"Neither did I. Until 5 minutes ago that is, and yeah we are." She smiled to herself. 

Elias got up from his desk and walked over to sit in the opposite chair next to Liz. 

"What are you two going to do?" Liz chuckled and shook her head. Leave it to her dad to ask if she was going to get back together with James. Elias always liked him. 

"As of right now. I'm not sure. Anything could happen." 

"I know you still love him. And I bet my life that he still loves you." 

"I know I do and I'm sure he still does too. I'm just not sure if I want to go through with it again." 

Elias leaned over and held both of her hands. It made her look him in the eye. But she wasn't expecting what he was to say. 

"I know this isn't the life you wanted. And I wish I could give you that life, but I can't. I thought for sure I was going to lose you. When this war started you became so erratic that your brothers and I didn't know what to do. Then James stumbled into your life and changed everything for the better. Love isn't easy Liz, but it's worth it in the long run." 

Liz sighed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I hate it when you're right." 

"Father does know best." 

"Alright, now you're just getting cocky." 

They both laughed. Then a knock came at the door and Merrick walked in. 

"Sir?" asked Merrick. He noticed Liz and gave her a small grin. 

"Hmm. Yes." Elias turned his attention on Merrick. 

"JSOC is on line 3. He wants to talk to you." 

"Alright." He turned his attention back on Liz. "I don't think you want to stick around for this. It's pretty boring." 

"Okay. I'm sure I can figure out something to do." 

Elias nodded and went back to his desk and picked up the phone. Liz left the room with Merrick. Liz stood in the hallway trying to figure out what to do. She still had about 6 hours to kill before she met James for lunch. Tom watched her for a few minutes before he finally spoke up. "You okay? You seem......distracted by something." 

That snapped Liz out of her daze and she turned her attention to Merrick. "Huh? Oh, just thinking. I have to figure out what to do for 6 hours. I'm meeting someone for lunch." 

"Ah. You can come bug me if you want. I have nothing to do." 

Liz lifted and dropped her shoulders. "Yeah. Sure, why not?" 

She followed Merrick back to his room. Looking around there wasn't much personal stuff. Just a picture on the nightstand. Liz sat down on his bed and gave him a small smile. It felt weird now. All because Hesh pointed out that she might have hooked up with him. Now here she was, alone in his room with him. And it didn't help that he sat right next to her. His hand grazed over hers and her heart nearly stopped working. Fuck was the only word replaying in her mind. Did he having feelings for her or was it the fact that he had a chance at getting laid. Her answer was soon answered when he leaned over and kissed her. Before things could escalate she gently pushed him away. 

Merrick sighed "It was worth a shot." 

"Merr-- Tom. If it wasn't my ex boyfriend I was meeting for lunch. I would have." She sighed and got up to leave. "I think I'm gonna go to my room." 

Merrick didn't say anything, he just watched her leave. Liz closed the door and walked back to her room. Shutting the door behind her, she slide down to the ground. Groaning into her hands. The next thing she heard was a knock at the door. She stood up and opened it, it was Merrick. She wasn't expecting him, she stood to the side to let him in. Once he was inside Liz shut the door and turned to him. He looked.......nervous. 

"I came to apologize. I shouldn't have kissed you. And I'm sorry." 

"You don't need to apologize. It was just a kiss." 

"I just thought you......wanted too? That was the vibe I got earlier." 

"You're not wrong. I do, it's just.......When I saw James, everything that I had felt for him came back." 

"James? That your ex?" 

"Yeah." 

"I don't mean to pry but, he's your ex. What we do doesn't really affect him since you guy's aren't together." 

Liz sighed. "I know that but there's still a chance we might get back together." The look on his face indicated he didn't understand. She sighed again. "Look. If we have sex now, I will be taking what we did with me to lunch. If James and I do decided on getting back together than great but I will always have that memory of us. You're not some random dude, you're my field commander and someone I work with. James an intelligence analyst, he hardly leaves the base. We do. All it takes is for us to be alone somewhere and we might just do it again." 

Liz looked him in the eye and she could see he now fully understood. "You're afraid you might cheat on him?" 

"Yeah. I can't do that to him.......Not again." 

"What happened years ago doesn't define you. You were young." 

"I know but it still doesn't excuse the shitty thing I did." 

"But you learned from it and that really says what kind of person you are." 

Liz smile. "Thanks. We good?" 

"We're good." 

"Whew. That's good, this would make a weird conversation if my dad asked why there was tension between us." 

"Yeah. It would." Liz heard a small chuckle come out of him. "I see Logan has taken a liking to Keegan?" 

"Yeah. I saw that too. Logan was always quick at making new friends." 

"Well he's not the only one in the Walker family that does. You want to hear a funny story about the time Keegan fell down a hill during a mission?"

"Keegan? Our Keegan? Fell down a hill?" 

"Yes. It's quite funny."

"I'd love too." 

"This was maybe a year and a half ago. Keegan, Ajax and I were doing a reconnaissance mission in no mans land. The Fed base was suppose to be 50 klicks away. But our intel guy got it wrong. It was 20 klick away, and down a hill. When we got closer, we obviously heard voices, so we went prone to get a better look without being spotted. Now it looked like these Feds had some good intel that we needed. Ajax and I were gonna into the camp to see if we could retrieve. Before we went towards the camp Keegan said he found a better vantage point, which would give him a better view of the camp and us. So Keegan gets up from his prone position and ends up tripping over a tree root and tumbling all the way down into the enemies camp." 

Liz was transfixed on the story. It was hard to believe the same stoic Keegan had a mishap during a mission, then again accidents do happen. This was also just about as good as when Hesh didn't recognize their dad. 

"No way? Well? keep going." Liz insisted

"Okay, okay. That startled the camp. Luckily they didn't reach for their guns faster cause Keegan took the 3 guys out like there was no tomorrow. Ajax and I took out the other 10. and we grabbed the intel and got the hell out of there." 

"Did that seriously happen?" 

Merrick's face was unreadable and she wasn't sure how to take it. 

"No. No it didn't." 

Liz mouth fell open and she shoved at his chest. "You ass-- I was so looking forward to mentioning that to Keegan." 

Merrick laughed. "The story isn't real but I did accomplish what I wanted." 

"Oh yeah? What was that? Making me look like a fool." 

"No. I made you laugh. I just want to make things good between us. I feel like we would be good friends and I almost ruined that." 

"Well it work. And me too. But you didn't so we're good." 

"Okay. I'll leave you alone now." He walked over to the door, but before he opened it he turned back to Liz. "I hope things work out for you and James." 

Liz smiled and nodded. After that he left. She still didn't know what to do, so Liz decided to take a nap. Kicking off her shoes, she set her alarm clock to 11:30 am and got cozy under the blanket. Quickly falling into a dreamless sleep. 

The beeping of the alarm startled her awake. She groaned and slammed the off button. Liz sat up and rubbed her eyes. She got up brushed her hair and changed into normal Ghost attire. Sitting back down on her bed, she put her hair back up in a bun and tied her shoes. There was still about 20 minutes left before she had to meet him. Maybe this time will be different, but a lot has changed since they've seen each other. What if the chemistry just isn't there anymore. Liz sighed and stood up. She headed for the door, but before she opened it she took a deep breath and said.

"I hope dad is right."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Originally this chapter was really long, so I decided to cut it in half. Hope you enjoy!

Liz was making her way to the cafeteria. Her nerves were outta wack and she didn't understand why. James wasn't a stranger. Turning the corner she automatically spotted James standing in front of the door. He wasn't hard to miss since he was the only one in the hallway. He spotted her as soon as she rounded the corner. 

"Hi." said James

"Hi yourself." 

"You ready to go in?" 

"Yes I am." 

James opened the door for Liz. Her nerves were starting to calm down, which she was thankful for. 

"Why don't you grab us a table and I'll grab the food?" 

"You know I can get my own food but I'll obliged this time." 

"I'm just trying to be all gentlemanly here Liz. And okay." 

Liz turned to look at the tables. Deciding on the one in the corner. It hid them from the door. She walked over and sat down. Liz watched James walk over and hand her her tray of food. James sat on the opposite side. 

"It's really nice to see you again Liz." 

"It's nice to see you again too." 

"What have you been up to these past few years?" 

"The usual. Doing our rounds at the wall. It was getting repetitive honestly. Everything was normal, I guess. Until recently that is." 

"How's that?" asked James between a bite.

"About 2 days ago dad sent us into 'no mans land' to investigate Federation activity in the are and regroup with a recon team." 

James stared at her in astonishment. No one was aloud in 'no mans land' unless they were a Ghost. If Elias sent his own kids in there, then it was for a good reason. And it was. 

"You....you were in 'no mans land'?" 

"Yup. To be honest, it wasn't what I was expecting." 

"Why's that?" 

"I don't know. They made it sound so horrible. It's the complete opposite. Yeah some places are more unstable than others but it's just covered in Feds for the most part." 

"Ah. So the stories were bullshit then?" 

"Pretty much. What about you? What have you been up too?" 

"The same old stuff. Crack the intel of the enemy and tell my commanding officer so he can relay it to someone up the chain of command." 

Liz gave him a confused look. "You sound annoyed. I thought you loved your job?"

"I do. You know I do. It's just...." 

"It's about you being reassigned? Isn't it?" 

James looked down at his tray. Liz could tell he blamed the reassigning for he newfound hate for a job he once loved and the ending of a pretty damn good relationship he had going with Liz. He looked back up and nodded. 

"I thought I would stay in Santa Monica. My whole life was there. There was so much I wanted to do with you and it fucked everything up." 

Liz reached over and held his hand, running her thumb over his knuckles. The gesture seemed to ease him. 

"There were things I wanted to do with you too. It took me a long time to get over you leaving. Truthfully, I never did." 

"I never got over you either. Can...can I confess something to you?" 

"Of course."   
James let go of her hand and went into one of his many pockets. He pulled out a small black box and set it on the table. Liz's eyes widened. This wasn't what she was expecting.   
"Is that what I think it is?" She grabbed the small box from the table and examined it before looking at James. 

He nodded. A part of her didn't want to open it. She tried running from her past before but it always caught up to her. She took a deep breath and opened it. Staring her dead in the face, was a diamond. Her hand came up and covered her mouth. She looked between James and the ring. 

"Were you going too?" asked Liz pointing to the ring. 

"Yes. I was going to propose on our anniversary. Until the damn papers came." 

"And everything changed for the worse." She closed the box and set it back on the table. 

Liz stared at the small black box. If those papers never came, she would be married right now. She wondered what it would have been like to come home to him every night. To have someone always waiting for her. Someone who truly loved her,flaws and all. 

"I would have said yes you know?" 

"Really?" 

"Yes. Really? What do you mean?" 

"I don't know. Fear, I guess?" 

"Fear?" 

"I know we talked about marriage when we were together. And how you said you weren't sure, but when I thought I lost you during the time you were......" 

"Captured by the Federation." Liz finished 

James nodded. Liz motioned for him to continue, that she was okay with having the topic being brought back up. 

"Those 3, long, painful weeks those bastards had you was a nightmare. I didn't know what to do. Your family didn't know what to do. We tried tracking you but that was impossible. If they were hiding their tracks that well then they needed you for something important. Then you show up in Dallas outta the blue, unharmed. When I got the news, I wasn't gonna waste another opportunity to ask you to marry me."

Liz didn't realize what she was doing until she did it. She leaned over the table and crushed their lips together. Finally was all either of them thought. All it took was 2 years and the start to align perfectly for them to reunite. And she couldn't be more grateful. When she pulled away, James eyes were still close. The kiss still lingering on both of their lips. She missed him, missed him more than anything. James finally opened his eyes and smiled at her. 

"What was that for? Not that I'm complaining cause I'm not." 

"Us." 

Us. That word replayed in his head. Did that mean what he think it means? Did Liz still want him as bad as he still wants her? Only on way to find out. 

"Does that mean, we're getting back together?" 

"I would like that, yeah." 

James let out a satisfied sigh and kissed her again. His hand came up and cupped her cheek. He licked at her bottom lip, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. To his dismay, she pulled away. 

"Not now. Did you forget we're in the cafeteria? With a bunch of people." 

"Right.....sorry." 

"No need to apologize. We can continue this later. And your lunch break is almost over." said Liz, a little disappointment in her voice. 

James looked at the clock. He completely lost track of time. Luckily he still had 10 minutes left. With lunch coming to an end and James having to go back to work, they went their separate ways. Not before James planted another kiss on her. They planned on meeting after his shift. With nothing to do, Liz decided to go bug her dad again. 

xXx

"Hey dad." said Liz who was practically beaming. 

"I see you're happy." 

"Definitely." 

"That's good. Is it about James?" 

Liz nodded. A smile started to show on her face. She was glad she took his advice. 

"Does that mean...." 

"Yes. We're back together." Liz finished 

Elias got up from his desk and walked over to give her a hug. "I'm so happy for you Liz." 

Liz knew he mean't it. That was one thing he wanted for his kids. For them to be happy. 

"Thanks dad." 

He let her go and sat back down at his desk. She took one of the chairs. Sitting in blissful silence her mind wondered. She thought about the future, she changed a lot in the past few years. As much as she hated to think about it, she wondered how long her and James would be together. It was different when they were both in Santa Monica. If she went out, it was with her brothers to check if any enemy forces were trying to break through the wall. James works in intelligence, he hardly goes out. If ever. Now she's a Ghost. The Ghosts go wherever they're needed. And with the whole Rorke hunting the Ghosts situation, she knows that's who the Ghosts will be after. Who knows where that will take her. Federation territory is huge, Rorke could be anywhere. Liz knew James would always wait for her, but it didn't seem fair. Shaking that thought from her head, her mind went to Rorke. Rorke, the former Ghost. Now turned field commander of the Federation. The question kept searing in her brain. Better now than never. 

"Dad? Can I ask you a question?" 

"Liz, you know you can. What is up?" 

"What are we going to do about Rorke?" 

"Once we find his location we're going after him. Unfortunately JSOC wants him alive. For questioning." 

"You're joking." 

"I wish I was." 

Liz shook her head. Capture Rorke. Yeah that didn't have disaster written all over it. Go into enemy territory, grab the Federations field commander and be home just in time for dinner. Yeah right. 

"Wouldn't it be better if we just kill him? Get him before he gets us?" 

"I agree with you Liz. But you know I can't go up against orders." 

"I know. It just doesn't make sense to me." 

Elias nodded. It didn't make sense to him either. What was the point in capturing him? If he truly hated the Ghosts, he would die before he gave up any information that could help them win this war. 

"So do have any clue how we're going to find him?" 

"I do. We're going after his right hand man, Victor Ramos. We should be able to get his location from him. The only issue is we have to wait until Federation day."

"Why until then?" 

"He's to far in enemy territory to grab him and to heavily guarded." 

"So when he's back in Caracas it'll be easier?" 

"Yeah. We don't normally go into Federation territory unless we absolutely need too. I don't expect more than a few dozen people there. The perfect opportunity to grab him." 

"And they won't even know what hit them." 

"Exactly." 

"Who's getting tasked with this? Is it all of us?" 

"No. I'm sending your brothers and Keegan for this. You and Merrick are staying here." 

"How come Merrick and I aren't going?" 

"It's not a mission that needs all of us. Your brothers will be fine. Don't worry." said Elias 

"I'm not. I was just curious, that's all." 

Elias chuckle and went back to whatever he was doing. Paperwork no doubt. Liz looked out the window. She spotted a group of men doing laps. Her mind wandered, lost in though once again. She still had Hesh and Logan to tell about her and James. Logan will be ecstatic, he's always love James and so did Hesh. Liz was thankful she found someone that got along with her family, especially the over protective big brother names Hesh. She snapped out of it when Elias said something. 

"You know how you like to read?" 

"Yeah, why?" 

She watched him pull a book out from one of the drawers. A look of pure happiness shown over her face. It was one of her favorite books. She though she lost it years ago. 

"How did you get this?" 

"I have my ways." 

Liz took the book, flipping through the pages. "Thank you. I think I'm gonna head to my room and read it." 

"You're welcome. And alright." 

She left his office and headed for her room. 

xXx 

Liz sat down on her bed and started to read. It was just as good as she remembers. She was already a quarter through it when her door swung open. Liz looked up and was about to yell at whoever just barged into her room until she saw that it was Logan. 

"Uh. Are you alright?" 

"No. I need your advice on something." 

Liz perked up when she heard him say that. Being the youngest she never got asked for advice. Logan walked over and sat down beside her. She motioned for him to continue. 

"I think I have a crush on Keegan." 

"I know. I could tell when I saw you this morning." 

"Should I act on these feeling Liz? You know I'm not out yet." 

"If you want, then yes I think you should. Keegan looks to be the understanding type, I'm sure he'll be okay with you not being fully out yet." 

"Alright thanks sis...Oh before I forget, I just saw James a few minutes ago. Just thought you should know." 

Liz laughed. It made Logan give her a confused look. "I know he's here. I had lunch with him earlier........And we're back together." 

"Wait, seriously?" 

"Yup. I'm meeting him after his shift is over." 

"Hallelujah." 

"You seem happy about that?" 

"Well, yeah. The way he treated you speaks volumes. And he made you happy. That's all I can ask for." 

Liz nodded. James did always treat her with respect. Even when she was a total bitch to him. She couldn't be more happy with having him in her life. Logan got up to leave, but before he opened the door he stopped and turned back to Liz. 

"Hey Liz?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I hope things work out. After everything you've been through, you deserve some happiness." 

"Thanks. And I hope things work out between you and Keegan." 

Logan smiled and nodded. Then he left. Liz checked the clock, she still had an hour to go before James was done with work. She couldn't concentrate on her book so she set it aside. Her dad and Logan already knew about her and James. The only person left to tell was Hesh. She sighed and stood up. Better to tell him now before he finds out another way. Liz walked out of her room and over to Hesh's. She made a fist and knocked on the door. A few seconds later Hesh opened the door. 

"Hey." said Liz 

"Hi. What's up?" 

"I need to talk to you." 

Hesh opened the door and let her in. She turned to look at him as he shut the door. 

"So what did you want to talk about?" 

"You remember James? Right?" 

"James. As in the ex boyfriend James?" 

"Yes." 

"Yes I do. Why?" 

"He's on base and we're back together." 

Hesh mouth fell to the floor. Which only made Liz laugh. 

"Hesh?" 

"Huh? Oh right sorry. I just though we'd never see him again." 

"I thought the same. But here he is." 

"True. Does dad know?" 

"Yes and so does Logan." 

"I'm the last one to find out?" 

"Yes. Not my fault though. Logan only found out cause he spotted him and decided to tell me, then I just told him." 

"Alright. I'm surprised you're not with him." 

"He's working. I'm meeting him afterwards." 

"Just please use protection. I don't want to be an uncle just yet." 

"Damn. Well there goes that plan." Liz said sarcastically 

"Funny. But even though you can be a complete bitch, I'm happy for you." 

"If you been through what I've been through, you would be the same way." 

"I know. It's just we never....jelled. We always fought. And the older we got the worse it got." 

"That's because I was jealous. And I hated you for it." 

Hesh looked at her in bewilderment. This was the first time she confessed this. 

"Jealous? Why would you be jealous?" 

"You were literally the prodigy child. You were good in school, good at sports and good at your job. And then there's me. The erratic child that keeps trying to get herself killed." 

"That's not my fault Liz. You half asses everything." 

"I'm not saying it is. I hated the fact that I was being compared to you. Do you have any idea how hard that is on a young girl?" 

"I..I never thought about it that way. Now it makes sense on why you always acted out. I'm sorry." 

"Thanks. But now I won't have to deal with it since you're not the field commander anymore." 

Hesh scoffed. "You're getting a kick out this aren't you? And it doesn't help that Merrick has a thing for you so he'll probably baby you through missions." 

"Yes I am. And he's not going to baby me through missions." 

"We'll see." 

Liz shook her head and glanced at the clock. He would be out of work in a few minutes. 

"I'm gonna get going." Liz headed for the door. Once out in the hallway she closed it and let out a deep breath. Her and Hesh just never had the chemistry like her and Logan did. No matter how much she argued with him, she did love him. Liz was about to let go of the handle when an arm wrapped around her waist. She tensed for a second until she realized who it was. 

"Hey beautiful." said James who gave her a kiss on the cheek. 

"Ugh. You scared me." She gave him a small shove, which made him chuckle. She noticed he changed. Instead of his normal Rangers uniform, he was wearing a black tank and a pair of gray sweats that hugged his lean hips. Liz swallowed and she hope James didn't notice. But by the smirk on his face he did. 

"Are you going to stare all night or can we go somewhere more private?" 

"Maybe. And yeah definitely." 

"Yours or mine?" 

"Yours." 

James grabbed her hand and led her to his room. She smiled down at their entangled hands. They just got back together but it felt like they never were apart. Liz noticed his room was the farthest away, it gave them more privacy which she liked but wondered why he was so far away. He stopped by the door and turned to her. 

"You sure about this?" 

She leaned up and kissed him. "I'm sure." 

That seemed to be the right push. He opened the door and let her go in first. Liz looked around the room, briefly stopping when she heard him close and lock the door. Her eye caught a glimpse of a familiar picture on his nightstand. She walked over and picked it up. It was a picture of her and James. It was his birthday, she was sitting on his lap and they were both wearing those stupid birthday hats and they were both smiling. Liz felt James come up behind her. "Remember that day?" 

"How could I forget. I'm shocked you still have it." 

"You think I would get rid of it? I still have all our pictures." 

"Really?" She still had hers, they were packed away in a box somewhere. She placed the picture back down and looked at James. 

"Yes, really. You wer-- are the only person I wanted to spent the rest of my life with. And those pictures were the only thing I had left of you." 

"Well....that feeling is mutual." She closed the small gap between them by planting another kiss on him. Liz pulled away and grabbed his hand, leading him to the bed. She sat down and James did the same. Liz glanced around the room again looking at the pictures he had displayed of them together. Reminiscing on the almost 4 years they were together. She felt him scoot over a little and wrap an arm around her. It didn't seem real that he was back in her life. That she was sitting on his bed, like she use to do every night back in Santa Monica. Liz missed him and never wanted him gone again. 

Liz looked back to James. He leaned down and kissed her. This time Liz let him deepen the kiss. Both moaning into it, the next thing she knew she was on her back. Her hands ran down his sides and then under his tank top. Feeling his taunt abs underneath. Liz smiled into the kiss, she never expected for this to happen again. James worked at the button on her pants, before he could fully pull them off she kick off her shoes. James broke the kiss and pulled them off. She did the same with his shirt. James closed the gap between them again. Her hands ran down smooth skin. He hardly had any scars, Liz on the other hand did. But James didn't mind, he loved her through and through. Liz's hand came to the band of his sweats, she started to pull them down. Only to get to his thighs before she couldn't reach anymore. She broke the kiss and whined. 

James laughed and pulled them off. Now he was in just his boxers and Liz still had her shirt and underwear on. But her shirt the discarded next. James looked down at her and smiled. Liz could help but do the same. She leaned up to kiss him, his hands ran up and down her body. Liz's own hand found the front of his boxers and gave him a little squeeze. He gasp into the kiss, making her smile into it. 

"Feel good?" 

"Mmm. Fuck yeah." said James through cusps of breaths. 

Liz moved her hand under his boxer to pull his member out and gave him a few long strokes. She lifted her hips a little to let James take off her underwear. He stop her from what she was doing and gave her a mischievous smile. James started to spread her legs and placed his face right between her thighs. He started licking and sucking at her clit. Liz clutched the sheets and moaned loudly. Neither of them cared. She was getting close, extremely close. Then he pulled away. Liz looked at him in disbelief.

"I was close, so very very close." 

"I know." 

James moved up and kissed her. She tasted herself on his tongue. He broke the kiss and positioned himself at her entrance. Slowly moving in until he buried to the hilt. They looked into each others eyes. Nothing could be seen but love. He started to move, nice and slow. Liz's arms wrapped around his back, holding him close. Each snap of his hips were long and slow. James never liked being rough with her, and Liz wasn't complaining. This wasn't one of her hook ups with someone she doesn't truly care about. This was someone who did everything with love, and it showed. Eventually the snap of his hips became short and hard the closer he got. With a few more thrusts they both came. He muffled both of their moans with a kiss. Once Liz's body stopped trembling, he pulled out and plopped on the bed next to her. They only thing that could be heard was their heavy breathing. 

Once they both calmed down, James grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and cleaned off both of them. Liz reached over and grabbed her shirt and underwear and put them on. When she did James let out a little pout. Liz chuckled and got under the covers. James leaned over and kiss her forehead before pulling back on his boxers and settling under the covers with Liz. She snuggled up to him and let out a content sigh. 

They spent the rest of the night talking and laughing. Things were the farthest from perfect in Liz's life. But having James back in it, made it damn close to it. Things just might be looking up for her. Eventually sleep got the better of them and they fell asleep in each others arms.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey! Sleeping beauty, time to wake up." 

Liz cracked open an eye to see James standing above her with a change of clothes in his hands. 

"I'm awake." mumbled Liz 

She slowly opened her eyes to see him smiling at her. It was hard not to smile back. 

"Jim. You're staring." 

"Oh. Sorry. It's just I thought I'd have to give you a kiss if you didn't wake up." 

"Funny." 

Liz yawned and stretched her arms out in front of her. 

"I brought you a change of clothes." said James handing her the pile. 

"Thanks. How long have you been up?" asked Liz while she changed her clothes. By the looks of it he's been up for a while. She glanced at the clock to see that it was 8 am. It was late and he wasn't at work. Did he have a day off? 

"About a half hours." 

Liz nodded. "Shouldn't you be at work? It's kinda late?" 

"Nope. Got the day off." He leaned down to kiss her and sat down next to her after that. 

"I could make a habit out of this." 

"I hope you do. There's nothing more I would like than to wake up next to you every morning." said James, who had a smile on his face. 

Liz thought waking up next to him every day would be amazing. They pretty much shared a room back in Santa Monica even if it was frowned upon. She had her own but would sneak into his almost every night. 

"I could ask my dad. He won't care." 

"Do you think he'll say yes?" 

"Probably. We did share a room back in Santa Monica. He didn't care then, why would he care now." 

"True. You should still ask though. Just in case." 

Liz nodded. Even though it's been 2 years since she's heard his voice she could still hear the twang of the Boston accent he has. That's where he's from, Boston. Her and James met and started dating when she was 18 and he was 28. It was the best decision she had ever made. 

"Wanna get breakfast?" 

"Definitely." 

She pulled him off the bed and headed for the door. 

xXx

They walked into the cafeteria hand in hand. The first thing Liz noticed was her dad and brothers having breakfast together. It appeared James noticed too. 

"Why don't you go sit with them. I'll get our food." 

Liz turned to James and said "Okay. And uh, I just want a bagel." 

"Okay. One bagel for Miss Walker coming right up." 

Liz shook her head and laughed. She walked over to the table and sat down next to Logan. 

"And how was your night?" asked Logan, a smirk showing on his lips 

"Fine. How was yours?" 

Logan scoffed. "Fine. Okay. Where's James?" 

"James is right behind you." 

He walked over and sat down next to Liz. 

"Your bagel." 

"Thanks." 

"It's nice to see you again James." said Elias 

"It's nice to see you guys again as well." 

"Awe the whole family is back together." said Hesh 

The family back together played in Liz's mind over and over. Hesh was right, this was her family. Everybody at this table she loved with all her heart and would do anything to protect. Breakfast went great, they caught up with each other. They reminisced on old stories. Everything was back to normal, well normal for her. Once breakfast was over they all went their separate ways. Elias went back to his office, Logan went to go find Keegan, Hesh went to go work out and Liz and James decided to spend their day outside. The weather was nice, it was warm but with a nice cool breeze. They walked hand in hand talking about where they think the future will take them. 

The day went by fast. They had dinner with her family and even Keegan and Merrick joined. James got along with both Keegan and Merrick and she was happy about that. She was also happy nothing was awkward between her and Tom. It seemed like the whole kiss situation had past. It was nice though, she hadn't smiled and laughed like this is so long her jaw started to hurt. Liz was starting to truly be happy again. And Elias even agreed on them in sharing a room. 

Night came and Liz was tired, so very very tired. She let out her 3rd big yawn in a span of 30 seconds. They were bringing the last of her belongings to their room. 

"C'mon babe. We're almost there, just a few more steps." said James who was trying to encourage her. It looked like her feet were being weighed down. 

"Can you carry me?"

James chuckled and said "Of course." 

He walked over and picked her up bridal style and walked the full 10 feet to their room. He sat her down on the bed. Liz was about to get under the covers when a hand stopped her. 

"No, not yet. You still need to change." 

Liz groaned and got up to do so. James did the same thing. Once she was changed she got comfy under the covers and fell asleep automatically. James got into bed and settled himself behind her before shutting off the light. 

"Liz?" 

He chuckled when he didn't hear a response. He kissed the top of her head and whispered "I love you." 

"I love you too." 

James pulled her closer to him and they were out like a light. 

 

xXx

It's been 5 days since the 'whole family got back together' and the week off did Liz good. She was now well rested and ready to get back out there. Today was the day. Keegan, Hesh and Logan were making their way to Caracas. Liz was a little nervous, this was the first mission without being by their side. But she knew they were in good hands. Liz was sat on her bed cleaning her SC-2010 rifle. James was sitting next to her reading a book. Occasionally she would feel his hand rub up and down her back. 

Liz put her rifle down and turned to look at James. He looked up from his book and gave her a small smile. She didn't know how long she would be gone, or even if they got Rorke's location. Her heart raced every time she thought about Rorke. Liz was about to say something when the comms rang out. 

"Captain Merrick and Corporal Walker to the control room." 

Liz sighed and gave James a quick kiss. "I'll be back." 

"Okay." 

xXx

Liz opened the door to command control and saw Merrick was already there and seated. She sat down next to him and gave him a little smile. He winked back at her and Liz let out a small chuckle. They were both now seated and waiting for the verdict. 

"What's going on?" asked Merrick 

"The boys got the intel we needed but the mission was compromised. Rorke knew we were there." stated Elias. Liz and Merrick looked at each other wide eyes for a moment before bringing their attention back to Elias. 

"Are they alright?" asked Liz 

"They're fine. They've made it to the rendezvous sight. NORAD is looking through the intel as we speak. Once we have Rorke's location we're moving out." 

"How long do you think we have?" 

"2 hours tops. So I advise you guy's to get suited up. We have to move fast on this." said Elias 

Liz and Merrick got up to leave, making it to the door before Elias called Liz back. She walked back over to her dad.

"Everything okay?" She didn't like the look on his face. Elias let out a deep sigh before he started to speak. 

"You know I would never lie to you right?" 

"Yeah. You're kinda scaring me dad." 

"The mission is gonna be dangerous. We might not make it back to base." 

"What do you mean?" 

"If we capture Rorke, the Federation won't allow him to get into American soil. We're going to have to try and get the information out of him before we move."

Liz gave him a confused look and she didn't like where this was heading. 

"I don't know how long it'll be before we come back here. If we get shot down, we have a recon team on hold. But they won't be bringing us back here. We'll be taken to the U.S.S Liberator." 

At that moment Liz knew, knew what he mean't. She let out a deep sigh and said. "I should say goodbye? Shouldn't I?" 

"I'm sorry Liz. I would let you stay.......but the team needs you. Go spend the rest of the time you have left with him." Liz didn't know what to say, so she just nodded and slowly walked to the door. 

xXx

Liz made it to their door, her hand still on the handle. Tears were threatening to fall. She wanted to calm herself before she went inside. It could be months before she sees him again. She just got him back and now he was being taken away.....again. She took a deep breath and walked inside. James got up from the bed when he noticed the sadness on her face. 

"Everything okay?" asked James, rubbing up and down her arms. 

"No, no it's not." 

James motioned for her to sit and she obliged. A second later James joined her. The worried look on his face wasn't helping. "You know you can tell me."

Liz gave him a weak smile. "We're going after Rorke." 

James looked at her in confusion, probably think she should be happy about that. 

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"No.....cause it means we won't see each other for a while." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Dad thinks we won't make it back to US soil. If we do get shot down, we'' rendezvous with a recon team and be taken back to the U.S.S Liberator." Liz choked out the words. She knew going after Rorke was a bad idea. James wrapped her in a hug and brought her head to his chest. She didn't want to cry but the tears fell anyways. Liz finally regained control over herself and smiled up at him. 

"I'm gonna miss you though." 

"I'm gonna miss you too. We'll see each other again." 

"I know we will. It's gonna take some getting use to not waking up next to you." 

"You just had to say that didn't you?"

"Sorry." 

"It's fine." 

They spent the rest of the time cuddling in each others arms. Getting her last taste of it before things start to really go to shit. Liz was going to miss him a lot, but she knew she would see him again someday. She leaned up to give James a kiss. She maneuvered herself so she was straddling him. Deepening the kiss, she worked at the button on his pants. Then James grabbed her hands and stopped her. "I can't do that." 

Liz sighed and got off his lap. Things became quiet between them. James was going to say something when there was a knock on the door. "It's Merrick." 

"Come in." 

Merrick walked in and gave Liz a small smile. "Are we going already?" 

"In 15 minutes. We should get down to the armory and load up." 

"Okay. I'll be there in a minutes." 

Merrick nodded and left. She turned to James and he wrapped her in a hug. "I'm gonna miss you." 

Liz was trying her hardest to stay strong. 

"I'm gonna miss you too." She let go of him, knowing it'll just get worse the longer she stayed. It's not a goodbye but a I'll see you later type of thing. "I should get going." 

Liz started to walk towards the door until James said something. "You don't expect to leave without me giving you a kiss goodbye, do you? He walked over and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. This was.....different. Not like any of their other kisses. It felt like every fiber of her being was being lit on fire. He pulled away but the kiss still lingered on her lips. She looked up at him and saw his eyes start to glisten. 

"You should get to the armory. Merrick's waiting for you." 

Liz nodded and started to head for the door. But she turned around for one last hug. Taking a deep breath and smelling in his scent. 

"I love you." 

"I love you too." 

With one last look, she gave him a weak smile before shutting the door and headed to the armory.


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Liz walked into the armory she saw Merrick. It also looked like he had her things ready. She walked over to him and grabbed her gear. 

"Thanks, but you didn't need to do that." Merrick smiled and shook his head. Liz likes his smile, it was better than the occasional brooding he does. 

"I wanted too. I.........look Liz, I care about you. I just wanted you to know that.....and that I'll always have your back." 

Liz gave him a little smile and then sighed. There was still a part of her that liked Merrick and she couldn't ignore it, no matter how hard she tried. "I care about you too and you know I'll have your back as well." 

When Liz glanced back up at him, the look on his face indicated he wasn't expecting her to say that. They locked eyes, his hazel ones starting into her brown ones. The silence between them wasn't awkward, but it was filled with to many unspoken words. Eventually Merrick broke eye contact and rubbed his neck. 

"C'mon your dad's waiting for us by the chopper." 

Liz sighed and followed Merrick outside. Liz sat down next to her dad while Merrick took the seat next to her. His hand grazed over thigh and she knew exactly what he was trying to do. With everyone seated and ready to go, the chopper drove off. They met up with the rest of the Ghosts halfway there. Elias informed them they had an hour before they went to go get Rorke. When it was almost time to go, Elias called the group over. 

"Rorke moves every twelve hours and we know exactly where he is for the next 12. A floating industrial complex in the golf, occupied by the Federation. NORAD made the find and they want him alive. I'm giving you a few salvage birds to hunt with and I'll be in the specter coordinating your multiple resources." said Elias 

And then they were off. Merrick and LIz took one side of the chopper while Hesh, Logan and Keegan took the other. The heli ride wasn't long, it was the waiting to land that was. Thank god they had those salvage birds with them. Before touching down Merrick gave her hand a little squeeze. For reassurance she's sure of. 

"Let's get this over with." mumbled Liz while exiting the chopper. 

xXx

"Tangos just ahead" yelled Merrick over the radio. Running for cover behind a destroyed 4 by 4 Liz ducked down just in time for a bullet to fly past her head. Lovely. This wasn't her first fight but it felt like it. She couldn't stop her hands from trembling. Get a hold of yourself Liz, you have a job to do. Merrick noticed what was going on.....

"Cover Me." said Merrick over the radio. He made a dash where Liz was and crouched down next to her. Turning of his comm before talking to her. "Hey. You alright?" 

"No...I don't think I can do this." Liz stated. 

"I know this is hard for you but the faster we get that asshole, the faster you get home to James." Liz didn't say anything, she just pointed her gun in the direction of the guy firing at her and shot back. "Fucking finally. I got him." 

"Push forward." The op started to go better after that. Liz was back in her element. They were getting close to the elevator leading up to where Rorke is. One of the Feds were pinning them down. No one could see where the shots were coming from. Liz glanced around to find a vantage point. In seconds she spotted an opening in a wall. Tapping Merrick's shoulder to get his attention. 

"Cover me." She said while pointing to the hole in the wall. "I think I can get the drop on that bastard." Merrick nodded. 

"Everyone cover Liz." Liz made a run for it. Going prone she found where the fed was hiding. The only issue is the bullets wouldn't penetrate the wall. In the position she was in she could lay down covering fire for her team to move up. "I found the guy." She stated over the comms. 

"Why haven't you taking him out yet?" asked Hesh over the comms. 

"I would but he's hiding behind a cement wall. Our bullets won't penetrate that." 

"Shit." said Logan. 

"Wait I have an idea. It looks like he's the last one left.....here at least. I can put down covering fire so you guys can push forward." 

"That just might work. I'm starting to like her even more." said Keegan over the comms. 

"When I start firing, move." Liz started to fire once she saw the guy poke his head out. Glancing to see her team moving. Once they were in position, she stopped firing, changed her mag and went to go rendezvous with them. 

"Good job kid." said Keegan

"If someone threw either a grenade or flash bang we should be able to kill him." said Liz

Merrick took out a flash bang and rolled it towards the guy. Once it went off the guy stumbled right into Merrick's line of fire. 

"Sorry Merrick, maybe she should be our field commander. She has a knack for this." said Keegan

"We can talk about that later. We have a job to do right now." Merrick gave Keegan the evil eye before advancing. 

"RPG" Someone yelled over the comms. Liz was just turning the corner when it hit somewhere behind her. Sending her flying a few feet.

"SHIT.....LIZ" she heard Hesh yell. Her head was buzzing and her ears were ringing. 

Next thing she saw was Merrick. "You alright?" 

"Kinda.....I'm so pissed right now." She slowly got back up. Aimed her gun at the asshole with the RPG and waited for his head to pop up again. "RPG guy down." She said over the radio.

"You good, Liz?" Hesh asked in a worried tone. 

"Better now that he's dead." 

"You guys push foward, I'll stay with Liz. It looks like she might have a slight concussion." said Merrick over the radio. "Just don't get Rorke until we're there."   
"Roger." said Hesh

Hesh, Logan and Keegan took out the remaining guys with ease. Moving up the stairs. Liz and Merrick slowly made their way up. "This sucks." 

"You'll be fine. I'm just glad you're alive." 

"Me too. I think I should be able to fight soon. My heads getting a little better."

"I really wouldn't advise that. If you do have a concussion that could make it worse." 

"I won't over do it. I promise." 

"Alright. Just stay behind cover." Liz nodded. Finally up the stairs, they saw Hesh, Keegan and Logan haven't advanced. 

"What's wrong?" asked Merrick

"We have about 10 tangos in there. There's too many corners in there to advance." 

"Then use your flash bangs and grenades. That'll at least help" Liz mentioned. Merrick looked at her in awe. Keegan was right, she does have a knack for this. 

Keegan and Merrick took her advice. It worked for the most part. There were 2 people left. They pushed forward, Liz and Merrick in the back while Hesh, Logan and Keegan were covering them. 

"I have never been more happy to see an elevator." 

"He's up there? Right?" Liz asked Merrick.

"He should be." Merrick went to his comms. "Outlaw this is Merrick, we're coming up the elevator, is it safe to advance, copy?" 

"This is outlaw, you have some heavy ordinates outside, we'll take care of them."........"You are clear to engage."

"Thanks for the assist outlaw." 

"Tangos take cover." said Keegan

"How many?" asked Merrick

"10 maybe less." stated Logan 

To Liz amazement, the last 10 tangos were taking out with ease. "Hey, Merrick, can you do one thing for me?" 

"Anything, what is it?" 

"Can you punch Rorke for me? I would do it but I'm injured." 

"It's my honor." A small smirk forming on his lips. The came to the door leading to where Rorke was. 

"He's just past those door." stated Merrick. Hesh was the first one through.

"On the ground now." Hesh said to Rorke. 

"You boys do know how to make an entrance." said Rorke 

"Shut up." said Merrick before punching Rorke in the face. Liz was pleased to see that....She wasn't expecting Merrick to pick him up off the floor and throw him out the window though. 

"That was a little excessive but whatever floats your boat I guess" She mumbled to herself. Liz walked over to the now broken window, seeing Rorke on the ground and Merrick pointing a gun at him. Dropping down as carefully as she could to stand by Merrick. 

"Scarecrow, we have him" said Merrick over the radio. 

"Roger. We'll be there in a moment." said Elias 

"Copy. I would also advise you to get a medical team ready. Liz got injured during the op." 

"Medical will be advised." 

xXx

Liz walked over the broken glass. She saw Rorke on the ground at gunpoint and Merrick's boot on his chest. Her head was starting to feel better and the ringing was gone for the most part. Liz stood against the wall trying to calm her nerves. Merrick noticed, he took his boot off Rorke's chest and put away his gun. Then walked over to her. "Keegan, watch him." 

"You okay?" 

"Feeling better. My body is still shaky though."

"It'll pass in time. I'm just glad you're alive. I don't think James would be too thrilled if I had to give him the news of your death." 

Liz sighed. Merrick didn't like the look on her face so he sat down next to her. "There's something else? Isn't there?" 

Liz nodded and took a deep breath. "Yes. I thought it would be a good thing to get back with James but......it's not." 

"What do you mean?" 

"It's not fair to him to be waiting on me all the time. He deserves someone who's job doesn't take then away for weeks at a time." 

"Do you love him?" 

"Yes, but that's not the point."

"I might be able to help if you give me the full story." 

Liz looked around to see Keegan guarding the prisoner and Hesh and Logan arguing over something, she neither cared nor wanted to find out. Liz could feel Rorke's eyes on her, it made her feel a little uneasy. She looked back towards Merrick. "We'll talk later." 

"Sure thing." 

xXx

"You don't have to come with me you know?" Liz said to Merrick who was walking with her to the infirmary.

"I know but I....."

"Want too. I get it, I get it." said Liz, waving her hand in his direction. They killed almost every Federation soldier at the complex. The few that survived were either trying to flea or were captured for interrogation. "Y'know what would be great right now?" 

"What's that?" 

"Some hot steamy sex. You down?" 

Merrick stopped in his tracks. Liz turned and raise a brow at him. 

"Uh, are you serious? What about James?" 

Liz walked over to him. She placed her hand on his chest and looked him the eye.

"I'm quite serious Tom. I'm tired of trying to hide my feelings for you. After this is done with, I'm gonna tell James how I feel. It'll break his heart...but it's better this way." 

Tom glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention to them. When he saw no one was, he leaned down and crushed their lips together. He pulled away after a few seconds with a big smile spread over his face. Liz couldn't help but smile back. 

"Let's get you checked out before we get busy." 

"Sounds like a plan." 

They walked into the infirmary and saw all the injured. It made her heart sink a little, that could have easily been her. One of the nurse gestured for her to sit down and be looked at. 

xXx

Liz walked out to the tent and saw Merrick was waiting for her. "So what's the verdict since I got my ass kicked out?" 

"No concussion, so that's good. I do have a good size bump on my head, doc said to take it easy so I won't make it worse." 

"That's good. Glad you didn't get too hurt. We should give your dad the news, he looked pretty worried the last time I saw him." 

"Alright. Where is he now?" 

"I think he went to go speak to are prisoner." It's been a little over an hour since the RPG incident and Liz was feeling much better. He head was a little sore, but the ringing in her ears ceased and so did the shaking. Her nerves however were growing the closer they got to the cell. She didn't like how Rorke was eyeing her. The room that was turned into a makeshift cell came into view. Elias was 'talking' to the prisoner until he noticed Liz and Merrick. 

"You alright? I was worried?" asked Elias 

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a good size bump on my head and it's still kinda sore." 

"So no concussion?" 

"Nope." 

"That's good. I would advise the two of you to get something to eat and get some rest. I need you guys to do the night shift in watching him." said Elias, gesturing to the prisoner. Liz could tell Rorke was eyeing her. It made her stomach sink. 

"Alright? Who's watching him now?" asked Merrick 

"I am" stated Hesh. 

Liz looked over in his direction, he had something to eat and a book in his hand. 

"Have fun bro." said Liz before exiting the room 

"Have fun bro." mocked Hesh as she was leaving. 

xXx

Liz and Merrick walked back outside. She gave him a suggestive look, he grabbed her hand and took her to their room. Once inside Merrick stripped out of his gear and pinned Liz to the bed. Kissing her deep and hard, Liz moaned into the kiss. She ground her hips around the bulge in his pants, making him moan in return. He pulled away and unbutton Liz's pants, kicking off her shoes while he pulled them off. 

Liz went to work on his pants, unzipping them and pulling out his very hard cock. She gave him a few strokes, watching him bite his lip as she did. A small gasp left her when two of his finger entered her. He leaned down again to kiss her while his fingers pumped in and out. Her hand still had a firm grasp around his member but she ceased her movements. He caught every single moan and cry she let out.

After a moment Liz gently pushed Merrick away, he gave her a confused look. "As much as I love foreplay, we should probably speed this up. Who know's if someone is gonna knock on the door." 

Merrick pulled his fingers out of her and maneuvered himself so his tip was at her entrance. With a slow snap of his hips he buried himself in her. Then he slowly pulled almost all the way out and snapped his hips. Liz almost let out a moan until it was captured by Merrick. 

He kept a nice slow pace and Liz met every thrust. Seconds later they were both catching each others moans and cries. After a while Merrick started to lose his rhythm and his thrusts became a little rougher. With every rough thrust Liz started to moan a little louder. And the closer Merrick got, the faster he also got. After a few more thrust Merrick came, concealing both their moans in a kiss. 

Merrick pulled away and they both gazed into each others eyes. His face soften and a smile started to form. She's never seen him so happy before and she couldn't help but smile back. He pulled out and fell onto the bed next to her. Both letting their spent bodies get a little rest. A moment or two later Merrick re-tucked himself back inside his pants and zipped them up. He got off the bed and handed Liz her clothes. "Thanks." 

"No problem." 

Liz pulled back on her underwear and pants and sat back down on the bed. She was redoing her hair when she noticed Merrick standing there like he didn't know what to do. 

"You can sit down you know, I'm not gonna bite. Unless you like that type of thing." Merrick obliged and sat down next to her. 

"So? How are we gonna go about this?" 

"We're gonna have to hide our relationship for a while. Until I tell James and then we have to pick a good time on tell everyone else about us, that won't make them think you're a rebound." 

"Sounds good. I'm really happy you changed your mind." 

"Me too." 

They were quiet for a moment until Merrick spoke up. "Sorry that I couldn't give you the hot steamy sex you wanted." 

"This was just as good. Maybe even better." 

Merrick smiled and shook his head, leaning over to kiss Liz again. They went from their sitting position to laying down. He deepened the kiss and ran his hand down her side and into her pants. Liz stopped his hand from going any deeper and broke the kiss. "They'll be more where that came from. Just not now, and we should get some sleep." 

"You're probably right. It was worth a shot though." 

Liz chuckled and watched Merrick get up and got to the other bed. She would've had him stay in the same bed as her but that was to risky. She didn't need to be caught in bed with her field commander. Liz laid down and got comfy under the covers. Letting her mind drift off into an almost dreamless sleep. It felt like she was only asleep for 30 minutes until Merrick was waking her up. "Sorry babe, time to get up." 

Liz groaned and sat up. "How long until guard duty?" 

"45 minutes." 

"Fun." 

"Mmm." 

Merrick sat down in front of her. Neither of them said anything, they just sat in perfect silence. Until Liz spoke up. "You know, you handled that kiss incident really well. Usually I get hounded by the person for saying no." 

Concern shown over Merrick's face after she said that. "No means no. And I respect women, the men who hounded you, did not." 

"Yeah. Bunch of assholes anyways."

"You don't have to deal with them anymore." 

"I know." 

They spent the rest of the time talking about random things. Their hobbies to their favorite books. Eventually it was time to leave. Walking to the cell Elias called over Merrick, which left Liz to guard Rorke alone for a little bit. She wasn't looking forward to that. 

xXx

Liz walked into the room and said "You are relieved of guard duty." 

"Thank god." Hesh practically jumped off his seat and walked towards the door. He stopped by Liz and said "Have fun" before fully exiting. 

"Thanks." mumbled Liz. She walked over to the chair he was sitting in and sat down. Grabbing a magazine that on the table next to her, wishing Merrick would hurry up. She could feel Rorke's eyes on her and it made her stomach sink a little. 

"It's nice to see you again Liz. Still as gorgeous as ever." said Rorke. 

A small smile formed on her lips. "It's good to see you to Gabe. I did always liked that jacket on you." 

Rorke got up from the bench and walked over to the bars. Liz put down the magazine and looked at him. He was just how she remembered him. "Sorry about Santa Monica, I would've warned you but I didn't have time." 

Liz got up and walked over to him. She could feel the heat off of his body. "It's okay. I knew it was going to happen at some point. Sorry that I kinda went M.I.A. someone was starting to figure out someone was hacking into the computers." 

"I had a feeling. The boss thought you were betraying us." 

Liz scoffed. "Of course he does. You know I'm on your side and to be honest, I miss sharing a bed with you." 

A smile formed on Rorke's lips, and Liz returned it. Things were simpler when she was with him. Not trying to hack into the computers and find the whereabouts of the Ghosts. 

"I miss it too. Then come back, be done with all this undercover bullshit." 

"I will. I'm kinda over this. But this could work to are advantage if I stayed."

Rorke raised a brow. He knew she was right, but he would rather have her back with him. Than with the Ghosts. "How about I give you until the Vegas safe house? Cause I really want to show you how much I've missed you." 

Rorke gave her a seductive look that only made her laugh. She lightly grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to her, then she planted a kiss on his lips. 

"A little teaser. And Vegas safe house?" 

"Yeah. Ajax mentioned it. I plan on attacking whenever you guys are all there." 

"And who knows how long it'll be until we're there." 

"True. Either way it shouldn't be long before we're back together." 

"Looking forward to it." 

"Me too. And uh Liz? Can I ask you something?" 

"Go for it." 

Liz watched him close his eyes. It looked like he was in deep thought on what he was going to say. When he opened them he let out a big sigh and said "Why'd you do it?" 

Liz sighed as well. She never admitted why she chose the Federation's side and why she decided to sleep with Gabriel Rorke. Former Ghost and field commander of the Federation.

"I wanted too. I felt more comfortable and wanted when I was with you. And the fact you actually listened to what I had to say, unlike some other people I know. It felt like it was where I was mean't to be." 

"You'll always have a place with me and the Federation. You're my second in command, I'm always gonna have my girls back." 

"I thought we weren't official Gabriel?" 

"And I thought we were Elizabeth?" 

"I know we are. It just didn't feel like a normal relationship. Since we couldn't actually talk or see each other." 

"That's gonna change. Soon you'll be back with me." 

Liz smiled and went back to her seat. Picking up the magazine and skimming over it. The atmosphere in the room shifted and Liz looked at Rorke confused. He didn't say anything, he just pointed his finger in the direction. Liz glanced over in the direction he was pointing in. Her heart dropped down to her stomach when she saw Merrick leaning against the door way. 

"I am so dead." mumbled Liz


	6. Chapter 6

Merrick didn't say anything, he just walked in and sat down in the opposite chair. Her heart was beating so wildly she thought for sure her heart would burst out of her chest like one of those chest bursters from the alien movies. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck went through her mind. How much did he hear? And why the hell wasn't he saying anything. Liz glanced over at Rorke, he was sitting back on the bench but he had a worried look on his face. Her mind was racing and a knot was forming in the pit of her stomach. She clenched her hands in fists to hopefully stop them from shaking. Merrick was going about his business like nothing was wrong and it bugged the hell out of her. 

"Why aren't you saying anything? I know you heard some of it." 

She asked barley above a whisper. Merrick put down the magazine he was reading and looked at her. "Now's not the time. We'll talk later." 

She couldn't decipher how mad he was and that freaked her out. Merrick went back to skimming over the magazine he had in his hands. Liz glanced between Rorke and the door. 

"I'll be back." 

She stood up and headed for the door. She needed some fresh air before she went into a full blown panic attack. Her heart was still racing, the knot in the pit of her stomach made her want to vomit and she started to sweat. Liz sat on the ground against the building farthest from the group and put herself in the fetal position. 

"Calm down Liz, just calm down. You'll get through this. You've gotten through worse than this.......what the fuck am I saying, nothing is worse than this." 

She took a few deep breaths and started to calm down. Getting up to pace around a little before her shaking ceased and she didn't feel the need to vomit. She walked back in and sat down in her seat. Putting her head back and bringing up one of her arms to cover her eyes. When she closed her eyes, she saw James. It was the morning after they got back together. They spent it in each others arms. Not caring about what was going on outside their room. She wished to be back there. Back with James. Back in his arms.   
Liz brought her arm down just in time to see Logan and Keegan walk in. 

"Apparently it's are turn." said Logan. 

Merrick put down the magazine and got up. Liz slowly stood up and stretched. Keegan was already in Merrick's previous spot reading a book. She walked over and gave Logan a small smile before she left. She noticed Merrick was already outside. She took her time walking outside, once she was, she noticed Merrick standing with his arms crossed and a very angry look on his face. Liz knew he was waiting until they were back in their room before he said anything. They walked back together. She heard nothing from him, not even a sigh. Liz could practically see the anger boil off of him. 

"This is gonna be a long night. If I survive Merrick's onslaught that is." she thought to herself. 

Merrick walked in first. He left the door open for Liz to enter. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the room and shut the door. She saw Merrick's back was to her, he had his hands on his hips and it looked like he was trying to calm himself down. "To-" 

Before she could finish she felt a sharp pain on her cheek and the momentum sent her to the ground. When she looked up she saw how angry he was. 

"I would have never taken you for a traitor. But then again looks can be deceiving. God I cant believe I fucked you too." snapped Merrick. 

Liz sat up against her bed, for once in her life, she didn't know what to say. He was right though, she was a traitor and nothing could change that. "What? You're not gonna say anything?" 

Liz looked up at him. What is there to say? "What am I suppose to say? I know what I am Merrick. I have for a long time." the words vehemently coming out of her mouth. Merrick had a look of disbelief on his face and he pinched the bridge of his nose to calm himself down. 

"You're a real piece of work? You know that?" Liz watched him leave the room and slam it behind him. This was the beginning of the end as she knows it. Liz got up and sat down on the bed. Letting out the breath she didn't even know she was holding in. She rubbed her cheek to relieve some of the stinging. After a few moments later Merrick walked back in and shut the door. He sat down on his bed and looked at her. She was surprised her dad wasn't behind him. 

"You didn't tell him?" 

"No. But I wanted too." 

"Then do it. I'm already in enough shit as it is." 

"Because I want to know why you picked someone like Rorke over your own family?" 

"Rorke was the only one that was there for me. My own father threw me to the side like I was nothing because he had to much on his plate at the moment. I became reckless. And cause of that, the Federation thought I'd be a good ally. I got captured and met Rorke there. The rest is history." 

He scoffed. "You joined the enemy because you were angry at your father?" 

"I know how it sounds. But you have no idea what it's like to be that young and have no one." 

"That still doesn't excuse what you did. You got people killed Liz. That's a big deal." 

Merrick's voice became soft, it wasn't laced with anger anymore. "I know that. I should've stayed with him instead of picking the 'better' option. But all I could think about was getting back to James and then a few weeks later he got the papers that he was being reassigned. It was all for nothing." 

Liz fiddled with her hands for a moment until she spoke up again. "Even though I was angry at my dad for what he did. I was still trying to protect him." 

Liz watched Merrick get up from his bed and sit down on hers. His facial expression changed after she told him. "You thought if you were back here, it'd give you a better chance at protecting him and sending Rorke on a wild goose chase." 

"Yeah. And I just want to say Ajax wasn't my doing. That was just luck on Rorke's part." 

Merrick nodded. "I'm not gonna tell your dad. This will stay between you and me." 

Liz looked at him in shock. "Why? After everything I've done, you're just gonna hide it away?" 

"Maybe my feelings for you are a lot stronger than I initially thought. And I'm really sorry about the slap, I don't know what came over me." 

"It's fine. I kinda deserved it. I'm 100% sure I'm the last person you want to be with though." 

"No you didn't. It doesn't matter what you did, you still didn't deserve to get hit. And you clearly aren't a bad person. Life just threw you a curve ball." 

"I'm really getting sick of those." 

Liz watched him scoot closer to her so he was sitting right next to her. He wrapped and arm around her and let out a sigh. She didn't understand why he was doing any of this. She just confessed she was working for the enemy, and here he was, getting cozy next to her. 

"Tom I'm thinking you're using your other head and not the one between your ears." 

"I'm using both. How about we get some sleep and talk about this in the morning?" 

"Alright." 

They both got under the covers and got as comfortable as they could. The beds weren't made for 2 people and Liz was surprisingly okay with sharing a bed with Merrick. Once Merrick turned off the light, they both slowly drifted to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Liz woke up to an empty bed. She glanced over at the other bed to see if Merrick had a change of heart. To her surprise he wasn't there. She sat up to see if the sun had risen yet, it hadn't. Where did he go then? Luckily it didn't take her long to find out. A few seconds later He walked into the room. He was rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"You're up early." stated Merrick 

"I wasn't planning on waking up at this time." 

She watched Merrick get back in bed. Still wondering why? Why was he doing any of this. This wasn't his secret to bare and she didn't want him ruining his career for someone he just met. Merrick open an eye to see her still sitting up in bed. He sighed and sat up with a questionable look on his face. "Something bothering you?" 

"Why? I'm not worth losing your career over." 

"Cause once this gets out. I'll be the only friend you got." 

Anger started to set in Liz. The audacity of one Captain Thomas Merrick. To be her friend once that life changing secret comes out. It didn't have anything to do with him getting laid or anything. Liz scoffs and rolled her eyes. "Once this get's out I won't be apart of this damn team. And I'm pretty sure you're not doing this out of the goodness of your heart." 

"What is that suppose to mean?" 

"You're getting laid." 

Merrick scoffed at her comment. Things were getting heated between them. "So you think I'm keeping this secret for you cause I'm getting laid?" 

"Are you not?" 

"No Liz. I'm. Not. I might actually care about you." 

"You barely know me." 

Liz let out a sigh and rubbed her temples. This wasn't going to work out and she knows it. It was only a matter of time before it's out. Especially since Rorke is back in the picture. Taking a deep breath Liz threw the blankets off of her and headed out the door. Her nerves were creeping up the closer she got. It was really early and she didn't know if he would be up. Either way this needed to come out. No matter the consequences. Once she was at his door Liz took a few deep breaths and knocked. She fiddled with her hands while waiting for an answer. A few seconds later the door opened and there stood a tired Elias. His face soften when he saw Liz and her worried expression. 

"Is everything okay?" asked Elias 

"No. No it's not." 

Elias motioned for Liz to come in. She nodded and walked inside. Turning to face him after hearing the door shut behind him. Tears started to flood her eyes. 

"Alright. What is it?" 

"I've been keeping something from you for a while now." Liz took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I know Rorke. I met him when I was captured by the Federation." 

She looked over to Elias. He had a bewildered look on his face. "I'm just gonna cut to the chase..........I've been a spy for the Federation for 2 years." 

"What?" His tone was laced with anger. 

"Rorke gave me a choice. I could go back home....but I would have to give him the location of every Ghost member. Or I could stay with them and be brainwashed like he was." 

Anger was the only thing Liz could see on is face. She shut her eyes and let some of the tears fall. "Jesus Liz. Is there anything else?" 

Liz opened her eyes and let out a breath. "While I was there........I slept with Rorke." 

"Oh.........That's just wonderful Liz." 

"I'm sorry." 

Liz choked out the words. Her throat was getting tight and it felt like her heart was gonna break out of her chest. "Sorry is not gonna cut it this time Liz. You got good men killed."

"I know that." 

Elias sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. It looked like he was trying to calm himself down. "The team needs to know about this. But you won't be here when I tell them." 

Liz gave him a confused look. What did he mean by that she thought. "What do you mean?" 

"Liz, you've lost every ounce of trust and respect I've had for you. And to be perfectly honest, you probably won't get it back.........You're being dishonorably discharged. But since you are my daughter, I'm letting you stay at the base with James. On one condition. You're not aloud to use any computers. There's a chopper leaving in an hour for the base. You better be on it." 

She didn't say anything after that. Liz just nodded and left. Walking back to her room she wiped away the tears from her eyes. She took a deep breath and walked inside. Not paying any attention to Merrick she grabbed her bag and put what little stuff she had in it. Once everything was in it she zipped it up and sat down. She noticed Merrick's back was to her......so much for being a friend she thought. Liz knew he was awake, but was curious as to why he wasn't saying anything. 

She kept silent though. It felt like forever but eventually it was 15 minutes until the chopper left. Liz sighed and stood up. A quick glanced at Merrick before she grabbed her back and headed for the door. She hesitated opening it. Liz turned toward Merrick. She had to say something before she left. "Merrick?" 

He let out an annoyed sigh and turned to her. "What?" 

"I hope you have a good life and........can you tell Logan I'm sorry?" 

"I guess." 

With that he returned to his original position. And Liz left the room and headed for the chopper. She wanted to say goodbye to Logan, but knowing it would be more painful she decided against it. Liz neared the chopper and gave the pilot a small smile before getting on. There was a slight happiness in her. She was going to see James again. Then a fear of losing him too settled in. As soon as Liz was buckled in, the chopper lifted off. 

xXx

4 hours later they touched down. Liz hoped off the chopper with bag and thanked the pilot before she headed inside. The closer she got to her room, the harder her heart raced. Liz let out a breath once she saw the door. It was about 8 in the morning. James shift already started, so she wouldn't be seeing him for a while. She walked over to the door and slowly opened it. Liz was right. He was already gone. She sighed though her nose and shut the door behind her. 

James did a little redecorating since she left. The first thing she saw were the photo albums on the desk that she knew weren't there when she left. She dropped her bag on the ground and sat down to take off her boots. Tossing them to the other side of the room. Since it was going to be a while since James got back, Liz decided on taking a hot shower. She grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom. 

Turning on the shower she waited until it was the perfect temperature. Once it was to her liking, she stripped out of her clothing and got in. The bathroom quickly filled with steam once her cold body hit the scorching water. Liz let it beat down on her head. She watched all the dirt from the previous mission wash down the drain. Then the tears started to come. This time she let them fall. After a few moments she calmed herself down and turned off the shower. Drying herself off with a towel and changing into a fresh pair of clothes. 

She walked out of the bathroom and walked over to the desk. Running her fingers over the faux leather binder of the photo albums. Liz picked one up and sat down on the bed. Once she got comfortable she opened it up. It wasn't much of a shock to realize it was pictures of them........and her family. As soon as she got to the family pictures she shut it and set it to the side. Family, that wasn't something she had now. Deep down she always knew the choice was wrong. At the time.....she didn't care. She was only looking out for herself. She was selfish and now karma was collecting. 

Liz didn't know what to do. She went from being active duty to not having a job. Life truly took a turn for the worst. She maneuvered herself so she was laying down. Maybe she could get a few hours of sleep before James came back. She closed her and eyes and let her mind wonder. Eventually sleep finally took her. Liz abruptly awoke to the door opening. She rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. A satisfied sigh left her when James walked into the room. His mouth fell opened once he saw her. Then a big smile formed on his lips. "Liz. I didn't think you would be back so soon." 

James walked over and sat on the bed. In normal times his happiness would be contagious. But Liz just couldn't return it. "I shouldn't be." 

"Is everything okay? You seem really upset." 

"I've been dishonorably discharged." 

James eyes widened and a look of disbelief shown over his face. "What, why?" 

Liz took a deep breath before she answered. "The man we went after, Rorke. I know him. I met him when I was captured by the Federation. After being with them for 3 weeks he gave me a choice. I could go back home but I had to give him the locations of every Ghost member or I could stay with them and be brainwashed like he was. All I wanted was to get back to you. I was selfish.....And now I've lost everything." 

Liz looked up at him and waited to be told the same thing. But it never came. James's hand cupped her check and he leaned down to kiss her. He pulled away and said "Not everything."


	8. Chapter 8

Another one. Another person who said they didn't care what Liz did. Deep down she was happy James still wanted her. But still, she didn't feel like she's the type of person to deserve love. Two people died by her selfishness and she'll have to live with that for the rest of her life. 

This was a new chapter in her life. With being dishonorably discharged, finding a job in the civilian world is gonna be a problem. Liz isn't the stay-at-home type. She needs to be out there. There's still Rorke, she knows he'll take her back with open arms. If she did choose him, every ounce of trust and respect her family might have for her would be gone.

"I don't think this is gonna work out between us." 

The look on his face nearly tore her heart out of her chest. "You don't mean that? We can make this work Liz." 

James pleaded with his eyes, and Liz shook her head. The life she had wanted vanished once her secret came out.

"How? Do you really want to be by my side once everyone knows about what I did? Cause once it does, I'm gonna have a target on my head and you know that." 

Liz rubbed her temples to relieve some stress. "We can figure something out. We can leave this life behind and go somewhere different. I just got you back, I don't want to lose you again."

Liz sighed and gave him a small smile. "Why don't we wait a little. And then figure out what we're gonna do. I still need to get use to this." 

James nodded and got off the bed to change. Liz maneuvered herself so she was sitting against the wall. She tapped her fingers against her knees and waited for James to come back out of the bathroom. Liz was caught between James's idea of leaving this life behind and going to Rorke. Each idea had it's pros and cons. 

A few moments later James came out of the bathroom, he changed from his normal Rangers uniform to something more comfortable. He tossed his uniform in the chair and sat down on the bed, maneuvering himself so he was sitting next to Liz. 

"I can't even imagine what you're going through right now. I'm sorry Liz." 

Liz gave him a small smile. "You don't need to apologize, this is my doing." 

"You said you chose that option because of me? It is partially my fault." 

Liz sighed. James did have a point, if they weren't together at that time, Liz would have stayed. Maybe she would've gotten brainwashed, maybe not. But that's all in the past now. Now it's better to focus on the problem at hand. 

"I'm not blaming you though. I could've stayed with him and things might be easier right now if I did. That's all in the past now, just have to think about the future. The future that went up in flames.....again." 

Tears started to flood her eyes. She had never felt so alone before. Liz knew she lost every ounce of trust and respect the team had for her. And it didn't help that a quarter of the team were her immediate family. Liz wanted to make things right, even if she did, her life has changed......forever.


	9. Chapter 9

It's been a week since Liz got back to the base. The decision to leave this life behind was still up in the air. She didn't know what to do and being at the base was starting to become harder. Within the first 30 some odd hours, people already heard about what she did. Now she was truly deemed a traitor. Every time she left her room she would get heartless comments aimed at her. She tried not letting it affect her, but they did. 

The decision to go with Rorke was becoming the better option day by day. She just needed to figure out how to contact him. She couldn't get near a computer if she wanted too. And the only other option was to leave and find him that way. Liz was sitting on her bed with a metal trash can and a lighter. She was burning up every picture she owned. Being a traitor seemed to tasking for James and they broke up. 

She wanted to blame Rorke for everything. If he never gave her a choice things would be a lot better right now. But she knew, she knew this was all her doing. She sighed and grabbed another picture from the box. Liz quickly lit it and watched it get engulfed in flames. She didn't want anything that reminded her of the past, when she was happy and loved. 

Once she was done, she placed the trash can on the floor and tossed the now empty shoe box across her room. The days were long and boring. She got up and opened the window, letting the smell of smoke exit her room. Taking in a breath of fresh air, she leaned against the windowsill and looked out. It was your practical military base. Liz saw a few squads out doing some training. 

Liz pushed herself away and sat down on the edge of the bed. She was about to start packing what little she had when there was a knock at her door. She raised a brow and got up. No one knocked on her door anymore, so she was curious. Liz walked over and opened it. It was Elias and Merrick. 

"Isn't this a surprise." 

"Can we come in?" asked Elias 

Liz stepped to the side and let them in. As soon as they were in she shut the door and turned to them. She wanted nothing to do with her past and here the past was, right smack in front of her face. 

"I'd thought I'd find you with James?" 

"We're not together anymore." Liz walked over and leaned against the desk and crossed her arms. "What do you want?" 

"We need your help." said Merrick 

Liz scoffed. "Let me guess Rorke was rescued? I had a feeling he wouldn't make it back to the states." 

"You knew that would happen?" asked Elias 

"I had a feeling. The Federation can't afford to lose him." Liz was becoming snappy and she just want the reason why they needed her help so they could leave. 

"I have two choices for you. You can go back to Rorke but while you're there you have to give us everything you find out. Or, you can spend the rest of your days as a civilian in upstate California." said Elias 

Liz darted her eyes to the trash can. "There's nothing here for me anymore. I pick Rorke. That's a better option then being left alone with my own mind." 

She glanced between both Elias and Merrick. They both had neutral expressions on their faces. Like they new she would choose him. 

Liz watched as Elias placed the bag he was carrying onto her bed. Opening it and pulling out a laptop. "Here. I'm sure you remember how to get a hold of him?" 

She took the laptop, sat down on the chair and opened it. "Yeah." 

Liz quickly got everything up that she needed to contact him and sent. 'About to be compromised, where can I meet you?' She set to computer to the side and waited, who knew how long it'll be before he answered. 

Liz was excited to see Rorke again. At least she'll have some happiness in her life. And she knew she wouldn't be coming back. The room was silent while they waited. She didn't want to know what her brothers thought of her or Keegan for that matter. A few moments later the ping from the message went off. Liz grabbed it and read it. 

"Back at the stadium, there's a group of Feds there. I'll be there in a few hours." 

"I'm meeting him back at the stadium." 

"Good. Pack your things, you leave within the hour." Elias took the computer from her and handed her a piece of paper with their info link on it. He then turned to Merrick and said "I need to talk to someone." 

Merrick nodded and they both watched him leave the room. She was hoping he would leave with him. Liz stood up and grabbed her duffel bag and started putting what little she had in it. Stopping abruptly when Merrick wouldn't leave. "You don't need to be here, you know?" 

"You wouldn't be in this predicament if you just kept your mouth shut." 

"I was in this predicament the day I decided to share a bed with him." 

Liz went back to packing. Merrick was starting to piss her off, he just wouldn't leave. She put the last of her belongings in her bag and zipped it up. Returning her attention back to Merrick. "Is there anything else you'd like to say Merrick?" 

"Good luck with spending the rest of your life with Rorke, you're gonna need it." 

"I'm not the one who's gonna need luck." 

Merrick scoffed and finally left her room. She let out a breath and sat down. She was itching to get out. It didn't take her long to pack and now she was just waiting to leave. Even though things ended for her and James, she hoped he would find someone to spend the rest of his life with. Liz fiddled with the strap on her bag until it was time to go. Then she boarded a chopper with Elias and Merrick and it was back to no mans land. 

xXx

They dropped her off five miles away from the stadium. Her heart started to race more the closer she got. When the sign of the stadium cam into view she let out a relieved sigh. She wondered if Rorke was there already. She hoped he was. It felt a little weird being back with the Feds and she wondered if they would even trust her. When she got closer to a check point she got her answer. 

"It's good to have you back Liz." 

She couldn't tell who it was at first until she got closer. "It's good to be back. How have you been Raul?" 

"Good, especially now with the more action going on. I heard you were almost compromised? Was that true?" 

"It was half true. I did get compromised. And the only reason I'm alive is 'cause I'm Elias Walker's daughter." 

"Damn. At least you're alive, that's the good thing. And before I forget, Rorke got here 20 minutes ago, he's in his tent." 

"Ah. I was wondering if he was here yet. I should get down there then. I'll talk to you later." 

"Alright. See you later." 

Liz walked into the encampment. She could see the truck they used to get into the stadium and the others that were blown up. The Feds cleaned the place up pretty decently. The farther she walked in the more she kept getting small waves and smiles from the other men. It made her feel even more stupid for going back home, she should have just stayed here. 

Rorke's tent came into view and her stomach started to get butterfly's in them. After two long years she was finally going to be back in his arms. She walked towards the tent until she was at the entrance. Taking a deep breath and then walked in. His back was turned to her, but Liz could tell he was looking over something. It took him a few seconds before he turned around, the look of sheer happiness shown over his face. 

Liz dropped her bag and ran over to him. Wrapping her arms around him. "I've missed you." 

He returned the hug and kissed the top of her head. "I've missed you too." 

Liz pulled away and smiled up at him. Her mood already changed a ton since she left the base. She knew this is where she belonged. He motioned for her to sit down in one of the chairs, she obliged and sat down. Rorke taking a seat next to her. 

"What exactly happened?" 

Liz laughed. "Oh, you're gonna love this. I was compromised. Then I was dishonorably discharged. Dad let me go back to base to spend it with James..." 

"James? As in ex boyfriend James?" 

"Yup. After I became a Ghost, he was at the base and we kinda reconciled. Then we broke up again cause the whole base found out I was a traitor." 

Rorke shook his head. "Jesus." 

"Oh, I'm not done. Then a week later Dad and Merrick come to the base and ask for my help. They gave me a choice. I spend the rest of my life as a civilian in upstate California or I come here and give them information about the Federation." 

Liz chuckled and looked at Rorke who did the same thing. "Wow. They must be really desperate then." 

"Definitely. And they were stupid enough to trust me. I was already planing on coming back, I just needed to find a way to contact you. When they gave me that option, I knew it would make this easier." 

"I'm happy you're here." 

"Me too." 

He leaned over and crushed their lips together. Finally was the only thing running through their mind. Two long years it took for Liz to be back with the Federation and most importantly, him. Now that she was, she wasn't leaving. Still entangled in a kiss, she lightly pushed him back and straddled him. Things were getting heated between them and then Rorke pulled away. And audible whine left Liz when he did. They both looked at each other panting. Then Rorke effortlessly picked Liz up and laid her down on the cot. 

"Now let me show you how much I've missed you." 

And that's exactly what he did!


	10. Chapter 10

Liz and Rorke were both putting on their clothes after their coupling. Her mood did a complete 180 since she got back and she couldn't be happier. When she tossed on her shirt, she sat back down on the cot with Rorke. 

"I've missed this." She linked their arms together and rested her head on his bicep. 

"Me too. Life was quite boring without you." 

Liz laughed and looked up at him. "I'm sure it was. So what have I missed? The Ghosts giving you any problems?" 

"They always give me problems. Two days ago they infiltrated one of the outposts in the Andes Mountains. Took a bunch of data with them, mostly kill estimates." 

"Kill estimates?" Liz eyes widened when she figured it out. "You got the satellite working? Didn't you?" 

"Almost. Finishing the last touches and then it launches."

"Sweet." 

Rorke sighed and looked down at her. He was happy she was back with him, but a part of him couldn't help but feel sorry for her. It was his fault she lost everything, if he never gave her those choices she would still have a family. 

"I'm sorry." 

Liz sighed and looked up at him. "It's not your fault. I made the decision and I knew the risks once I left here."

"You lost everyone you cared about though." 

Liz unlinked their arms so she could get a better look at him. His eyes were conveying a bunch of emotions. She gave him a small smile and said. "I don't regret my decision. I feel more at home here than I did when I was with my family." 

"You do? Then why did you pick that option when you could've stayed here?" He intertwined their hands together and smiled to himself. 

"Selfishness. James wasn't an ex when I was with you 2 years ago......." 

"You mean you were together with him when we were too?" 

"Yes." Liz shook her head and sighed. A part of her hated what she's become. But she couldn't dwell on the past, not anymore at least. 

"Then why did you sleep with me?" 

Liz stood up and walked over to the table. She sighed and leaned over it, closing her eyes and tried not letting the past get the best of her. Not realizing Rorke was right beside her until she felt his hand on the small of her back. Liz opened her eyes and turned towards him. "I'm not angry Liz, I just want to know why." 

"To protect myself. The first night at camp two men came into my tent......I had a feeling that would happen, being the only girl and all." 

"Jesus. Why didn't you say anything?" He kept his voice soft, which helped Liz's nerves. She didn't want to talk about it, but he deserved the truth. 

"I was scared. I hardly knew you, I didn't know what you would do or say if I mentioned that.......Anyways that morning I noticed how the men were scared of you...." 

"And you thought sharing a bed with me would help keep you safe?" 

Liz turned around to fully face him. "Yes. And it did. I was gonna use you until I could come up with a way to escape. That changed when I actually started to fall for you." 

"You thought you would never see him again, didn't you? And you ran off as soon as I gave you the chance." His voice was starting to rise and Liz didn't like that. 

"I nev--" 

"I poured everything out to you Liz. I trusted you.....and I thought our feelings were mutual." 

"I'm sorry that I've hurt you, I really am. But do you have any idea whats it's like to be so young when the world falls apart? And then to be tossed to the side by your family cause they're too busy for you? I became reckless and I probably would've been dead before I turned 20. Then I met James and he changed my ways. I didn't want to lose that. But I did anyways, after I got back to base he ended getting reassigned 3 weeks later. And it was all for nothing." 

Liz wiped a few tears away. She didn't like where this was going. She looked up at Rorke to see the mix of emotions spread across his face. 

"He came back though, didn't he?" 

"Yes. That doesn't matter now since he wants nothing to do with me. And my feeling for you were mutual. It's fine if you don't believe me." She turned her back to him and took a deep breath. She didn't want to cry, she just lost almost everyone she cared about and she could feel she was about to lose one more. 

"Life hasn't been kind to either of us. But I believe you." 

She turned back around to look at him. Tears slowly started to fall down her cheeks. Rorke grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a hug. Liz took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. 

"You will always have a place here. Sorry for being such a dick." 

Liz pulled away and stared up at him. A smile slowly forming on her lips. "It's okay. But you are an asshole for making me fall for you." 

She laughed and wiped the tears away. 

"I'm terribly sorry that I'm so devilishly handsome." 

"Alright now you're just being cocky." 

Liz walked back over to the cot and sat down. She was relieved it wasn't a recap of her family. She heard Rorke laugh and walked back over to her and sat down. Liz glanced out the door and noticed the sun was starting to set. He noticed where she was looking and grabbed her hand and led her out of the tent. Liz wondered where they were going, but Rorke wouldn't say a word. 

A few minutes later they got to the top of the stadium. It had the perfect view of the sunset. Liz looked out in awe, letting go of his hand to sit on the edge of the stadium. Rorke smiled and followed, taking a seat next to her. "It's so beautiful."

"Eh, I've seen better." 

Liz scoffed and turned to him. "Oh yeah? Where would that be hot shot?" 

"Sitting right in front of me."

Liz turned to him and crushed their lips together. She pulled away after a moment and smiled. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. A sigh of content left her when his arm wrapped around her. They stayed silent for the time being, just watching the sunset. The sky was a mix of fading blue and pink. Liz always loved watching the sunset, she loved the transition between day to night. This would be the ending of her first day as a Fed. 

She couldn't help but think about what her father said to her. About being a spy for them. Even if she did, things would never be the same. She went down the rabbit hole and would never come back. Liz was a Fed now and a Fed she'll die.


	11. Chapter 11

It was the next morning and Liz was going over the plans that were laid out on the table in her and Rorke's tent. He was out giving today's orders to the men and Liz decided to stay in the tent for a while. She was happy to be back with Rorke and everyone but, she felt....alone. She hoped the feeling was temporary and not here to stay. 

Liz sighed and sat down on one of the chairs. She'd pictured a happy marriage and a few kids with James and now. Now she'll be lucky enough to survive the year and if she does, then what? A happy life with Gabriel Rorke? Maybe that wouldn't be to bad, he does love her that much is certain. But she just couldn't picture it. 

People like her and Rorke don't get happy endings. Their ending ends with gunfire and blood. She sat in silence thinking about what she could do to make her future more enjoyable. She glanced to her side when she heard someone walk in and gave him a small smile when he sat down in front of her. 

"Everyone has their order's so we should be good for at least an hour." He looked over at the plans on the table for a moment until he realized Liz didn't say anything. "Are you okay?" 

"Kinda. Just thinking." She sighed and covered her face with her hands. Maybe she should just help the Ghosts, it might work out better for her. As long as no one finds out she's doing it that is. 

Rorke's hands wrapped around her wrists and gently pulled them away from her face. He could tell she was hurting and he didn't know what to do. "You know you can tell me." 

Liz closed her eyes and sighed through her nose and then opened them again. "I know our time is numbered. I think we should live our lives how we want to." 

"Do you mean like marriage and kids? Stuff like that?" 

"Yeah, not children though. People like us, we don't get a happy ending. But we can make our lives more enjoyable." 

Rorke nodded. "I never thought about it that way.........so will you marry me?" 

He raised a brow and smiled at her. That wasn't how he planned on proposing to her, then again it wasn't like they would be having a big wedding with family and friends involved. 

Liz laughed and leaned over until she was mere inches from his face. Then she crushed their lips together, when she pulled away she smiled at him. "I'd marry you in a heart beat Gabriel. And Elizabeth Rorke has a nice ring to it." 

"I'll see if I can get a day or two off and we can go down to Caracas. To make it official." He let go of one of her hands and pulled her onto his lap with the other. 

She wrapped her arm around his neck and chuckled. "I think I would like that." 

"Me too." He leaned up a little to kiss her. Only this time Liz deepened it. 

Without breaking the kiss, he picked her up and brought her over to the cots. Gently laying her down, he slightly pulled away to see the flustered look on her face. Thinking it was cute that she was still like that, even after 2 years without seeing each other. 

He leaned down and kiss her again as one of his hands snuck below her waist band. She smirked into it when she felt his finger tease her womanhood. A small gasp left her when he pushed a finger inside her. He then added another one and slowly started to pumped them in and out of her. 

She bit her bottom lip and softly moaned. She gave him a little bit more access by spreading her legs. He started to work his fingers in and out of her more frantically. And her moans were becoming louder. Then she whined when he pulled them out of her. 

He planted a firm kiss on her lips and said "I'm far from finished. Take off your pants." 

Liz toed off her boots and quickly discarded her pants and underwear. She laid back down again and spread her legs for him. His fingers eagerly re-entered her and kept the same pace as before. She threw her head back, arched her back and moaned. 

He slowed his pace a little as they gazed into each others eyes. Then leaned down and placed a firm kiss on her lips. A few seconds later they heard someone enter the tent. He pulled away slightly and groaned in annoyance. When they both looked to see who it was, both of their faces faltered. 

"S-sir what are you doing here?" asked Rorke. He pulled his fingers out of her and tried to shield the bottom half of her body. 

"When I got word that Ms. Walker had returned. I needed to see her for myself. And I see she's made herself quite at home already." said the leader 

"Yes sir, I have." She grabbed the blanket next to her and lazy threw it over her bottom half. 

"Get dressed, we need to talk. And Rorke, get back to work. Your little whore can wait." The leader left the tent after that and Liz quickly grabbed her underwear, pants and boots and started to put them on. 

"You should get back to work before he get's more angry. I'll tell you everything after." 

Rorke stood up and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Okay. I'll see you later." 

Liz watched him walk out of the tent and sighed. The leader never liked her and his views haven't changed in the past few years. Whatever he wanted to talk to her about, wasn't gonna be good. She quickly laced up her boots and met with the leader outside. 

"Walk with me." Liz nodded and followed him until they were out of ear shot of the camp. Then he stopped and turned to her. 

"I'm sure you're well aware of my feelings for you?" 

"Yes sir, I am."

"Good. I'll make this short. You are expendable and a liability to the Federation. You will never be one of us and the only reason you're alive right now is because I need Rorke. And he unfortunately loves you for some god forsaken reason. But if there is a fight, you will be on the front lines with most of the men and if I find out you're not. I won't hesitate on giving that kill order." 

It felt like the wind was knock out of her. She knew he didn't like her, but this, this was hatred. She nodded that she understood and watched him as he started to walk away. Then he stopped and turned back around to face Liz. 

"Oh...Liz? If by any chance you end up with child. You and Rorke will not get any help from the Federation. If you want that child, Rorke will be delivering it." 

"Yes sir." 

He walked back to the camp after that and left Liz standing there. She let out a breath and blinked back a few tears. She knew it would be a bad idea to find Rorke, so she decided to leave the encampment and go for a little walk. She walked until she came to a little ledge hanging above the water. She sat down and looked out over the vast ocean. 

She didn't know what to do. She thought it would be easier to come here than being left alone in upstate California. But she was wrong, very wrong. Maybe it was better to be left alone with her thoughts than playing in a game of chance. A game she's sure she won't survive long. 

She spent the day on her little ledge and eventually the sun started to set. She knew Rorke would be looking for her, but she didn't want to go back to the camp yet. When it started to get a little bit darker, that's when she heard someone calling her name. She easily recognized the voice and sighed. 

"Over here." She brought her legs up to her chest and hugged them as she waited for Rorke to join her. 

"Oh there you are. Jesus Liz you had me worried." He walked over and sat down next to her. 

"Sorry." 

He looked over at her with worried eyes and finally saw how upset she was. It was way worse than when she arrived. And he wanted nothing more than to go back to the camp and strangle the leader with his own intestine for making her this upset. He's never seen her disassociate like that before and made him more worried than before. 

"What happened?" He kept his voice as soft as possible. He didn't want to upset her more than she already was. 

"A lot......He says I'm expendable and a liability to the Federation. That the only reason I'm alive right now is because of you and if there's a fight I have to be on the front lines and if I'm not and he finds out. He won't hesitate on killing me." 

A few tears fell down her cheeks and she let out a sob. She looked over at Rorke to see the mix of anger and sadness on his face. He stood up and lend her his hand, she obliged and took it. He gently helped her up with a small smile on his face. 

"Come on. It's getting dark and we have to leave early tomorrow morning." 

He started to walk away, but Liz stayed where she was. She sighed through her nose and told him to wait. When he stopped and turn his attention back to her, she became fidgety. He needed to know the other part, but Liz didn't know if she could say it. 

"That wasn't all he told me." 

"No? Then what else is there?" 

She closed her eyes and let out a breath, then opened them again. "He said if I ever find myself pregnant, we won't get any help from the Federation and you would be the one to deliver our child." 

He let out a laugh, but it had no emotion in it. He knew exactly what the leader was doing and it made his blood boil. Anger wasn't the answer though, she needed him now more than ever. And he wasn't going anywhere. He walked over and gently held both of her hands in his. She looked up into his eyes as he spoke. 

"Since the bastard is doing everything in his power to make your life end sooner than it should. He now has a bigger problem. You will not be on the front lines alone if a battle is to happen, I will be there right beside you. Through it all. And if you want to stop having sex, that's 100 percent okay with me." 

Liz let go of his hands to jump into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight. Rorke smiled to himself and wrapped his arms around her in a tight yet gentle grasp. They stayed like that until it got too dark to see and then he set her back down. 

"Thank you. I think we should stop having sex for now and actually sit down and talk about if we want kids or not." 

"You're welcome and yeah, sounds like a plan." He intertwined their hands together and started to lead her back to camp. "Now let's get back to camp, it's late and you haven't eaten or drank anything all day." 

"Sorry." 

They walked for a brief moment and she started to get a little dizzy and stumbled. He noticed what happened and helped to steady her. 

"You alright?" 

"Yeah, just a little dizzy." 

Without saying a word he picked her up bridal style and carried her back to camp. When the lights came into view he set her back down and intertwined their hands back together and led her back to the tent. Her life might had gotten even more difficult than she could imagine, but having someone like Rorke by her side gave her comfort.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just straight up smut for the most part! Also Liz drops a bomb (not a literal one) on Rorke in this chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Liz walked into the tent and sat down on her cot while Rorke went to get her something to eat and drink. She felt like shit and didn't know if she could eat. She would try for him though. She kicked off her boots and pulled the blanket over her lap. She didn't understand why the leader hated her so much, he was the one planing to use her anyways. Was it because Rorke fell for her, as she did him? That was the only plausible explanation. 

A few moments later Rorke walked in with a tray and a bottle of water. He handed them both to her and sat down on his cot next to hers. She set the water down and the tray in her lap. The food didn't look too terrible, she sighed and grabbed the fork and took a bite. It was better than she expected. At least that was a plus to her shitty day. She could feel his eyes on her, so she looked up to meet his. She could easily see the sadness in his eyes. 

"This isn't your fault. But we can deal with the leaders morbid plans for me another day. But now we should deal with the more pressing matter at hand." She gave him a small smile and hoped that helped. 

He nodded. "I know you said you didn't want kids.....Deep down I hoped you would change your mind, cause I would love to have a little family with you someday. Now that might not come true cause of that asshole." 

Liz put the tray down on the cot and moved closer to him. "I do want kids. I've always wanted kids, I just thought it would be different. And are you sure you would be okay delivering our child?"

"In a heart beat. But I'm sure someone would help us out. Not everyone likes the leader. And uh, please eat." He grabbed the tray and handed it back to Liz 

Liz sighed and took it. "And I'm sure about that too. Especially since they're more afraid of you than they are him." 

Liz started to eat to make him a little bit more happy. Her time away made her forget how caring he really is, at least to her. She wouldn't mind a life with him, as long as the leader wasn't in the picture. Having to always look over your shoulder isn't a way to live. 

"You have a point. But all it takes is one person to tell that asshole." He moved closer to her and his hand grazed over her thigh. "I don't want to lose you." 

"You won't, I promise. Why don't we play by his rules for now and come up with something later?" She gave him a reassuring smile and took another bite of her food. 

"Yeah, I guess that could work. But, you uh, never actually answered if we would have children someday?" He gently ran his hand up and down her arm. He loved the feeling of her smooth skin. 

"Yes we will. And to be perfectly honest with you, I don't want what that asshole said to stop us from having sex. I mean yeah within a month my birth control will be out of my system and it'll be a greater chance in me getting pregnant but. I want my life to be a little enjoyable before I die." She set the tray aside and turned to him. 

"Okay. Then I should probably read up on how to deliver children since we might be meeting ours sooner rather than later." He chuckled and leaned over to give Liz a firm kiss on the lips. 

"Yeah, you should. Cause I don't want you freaking out while I'm in labor. I know this is kinda weird to say but, thank you. For everything. It's nice to know I'm not fully alone." She gave him a small smile and then rested her head on his shoulder. 

"As long as I'm still alive, you will always have someone who loves you. Do you think your family will ever change their feelings for you? I know they're pissed now, but in the future someday?" He angled his head to see her better. It didn't seem real that she was back with him, yet here she was. In his arms. 

"They would only changed their feelings for me on one condition. I betray you, and I can't do that. I won't. When I made the decision to come back here, it was for good. I also don't know how Hesh and Logan feel about the whole situation. I left before my dad told them." She wondered how they felt about it. Hesh she knew would be pissed, but Logan. Logan was a wildcard. 

"Didn't you say, you were the closest with Logan? Maybe he won't be as upset as everyone else is and he'll understand why you did it in the first place." He kissed to the top of her head and wrapped an arm around. He just wanted her close to him. 

"Hopefully and I am." She moved away a little and raised a brow, "Okay, what's with all this talk about my family and if they'll have a change in heart?" 

"We both know I'll die way before you. I don't like the thought of you being alone after I go." Truthfully he hated that thought. The age difference between them, never affected him. Until now, being almost 30 years older than her he never thought about the fact he was going to die way before her. And if she has no one else, she would truly be alone. If there was at least one other person she could go to after his passing he would be happy. 

"I guess we'll find that out once we cross paths with the Ghosts again." She took the tray and placed it on the ground. Then took off her pants and slide under the blanket. The thought of Rorke dying wasn't something she liked to think about. He always seemed like the invincible type. 

Rorke nodded and untied his boots to take them off. Then his pants soon followed. Liz hummed as she watched him undress. The way his boxer briefs would hug his muscular thighs sent a wave of heat between her legs. He turned around to notice Liz was staring at him and chuckled. 

"Liz, you're staring." He sat back down and kissed her nose. 

Liz laughed and sat up. "Do you have a problem with that?" 

She quirked a brow and brushed a hand over the front of his boxers. Making him grunt in the back of his throat. 

"Never. Stare all you want." He shot a suggestive look her way and kissed her deeply. Then he pulled away and stared at her wide eyed. "Wait, does this mean we can't get married?" 

Liz laughed and shook her head. "I don't think we can officially get married anytime soon, but that can't stop us from calling each other husband and wife. We don't need a paper to show how much we love each other."

"Mmm, okay. I'm gonna start calling you my wife than." He gazed into her eyes and smiled. 

"Then I'm gonna start calling you my husband." Liz smiled and kissed him. His hands ventured down her back and under the band of her underwear. She hummed and smirked as he started to knead her ass. 

Then he pulled away and stopped kneading. "Turn around." 

Liz's heart started pounding at the lustful look she was receiving. She licked her lips and did as she was told. She went on all fours and waited. She felt his hands slowly pull off her underwear and discard it on the floor. Her eyes closed and she softly moaned as his thumb teased her entrance. 

Then a finger sunk into her wetness and she moaned a little louder. One hand kneaded at her ass while the other pumped in and out of her. She bucked back onto his hand with more force. Her orgasm was quickly building and she wanted more. A whimper left her when he pulled his abused fingers out of her. Then she felt the tip of his cock at her entrance. 

He quickly sunk into her and they both moaned. His pace was fast and rough. His grip on her hips was tight as he pounded into her mercilessly. Liz grabbed a pillow to muffle her loud moans. She never seen him so hungry before. To lose control so quickly wasn't something he did. And this newfound fucking made her start to pulsate around him within seconds. She's never had an orgasm hit her so fast and so hard before. Her whole body trembled and she found it hard to come down from it. Then he came with a low grunt, spilling everything he had into her. 

She was still trembling and while still inside her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up. He brushed some hair over her ear and gently kissed at her neck. "Slowly ease out of it." 

Her trembling started to cease and then she was left as a panting mess. She pulled away and collapsed on her cot. She stared at him with awe and a little concern. But she couldn't speak. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. Then she turned on to her back and spread her legs. Inviting him for more. He smirked and crawled over to her. 

He placed a hard kiss on her lips and then sunk into her once more. His pace this time was long and slow. Completely opposite of before, but still equally satisfying. They both came shortly after, moaning each others names. Then he pulled out and fell on to his cot panting. Liz maneuvered herself on to her side and sighed in content. She watched as Rorke tucked himself back into his boxers and then turn to her. He blindly looked for the tissues and handed her the box. 

"We should keep these on your side. You need them more." He chuckled and gave her a chaste kiss. 

"I wouldn't need to use these all the time if someone knew how to use a condom." Liz smirked and cleaned herself up. 

"I'll just run right out to the nearest store and buy some. Plus I thought you like it raw?" He placed his hands behind his head and looked at her. 

"Okay, no need to be sarcastic. I was joking, and I do. For the most part." She sighed and pulled back on her underwear. 

Rorke saw her body language quickly change. He sat up and gently placed his hand on top of hers. "Are you okay? You know if you want to be more careful than that's alright." 

"It's not that. It's just......you have a daughter." Liz looked up at him. The sheer shock showing over his face. 

"Wait what? Y-you were pregnant when you left? Why didn't you say anything?" His voice was laced with some anger. And it made Liz feel much worse. 

"At the time when I left, it was too soon to find out. I didn't fully find out for another month or so." She cover herself up with the blanket and picked at a string. 

"Okay. Where is she now?" His voice soften and now he looked more intrigued, which was more than understandable. 

"Upstate California. Being raised by her adoptive parents. I wanted to keep her and raise her. But I was afraid I couldn't keep her safe. She's with two incredibly loving people though, I made sure our daughter got the best." She slightly smiled and then grabbed her bag. She went through each pocket until she found what she was looking for. "Here. Meet your daughter." 

Liz handed Rorke the picture and watched him carefully. She saw the tears well up in his eyes and the proud smile that formed on his lips. Then he sighed and wiped the tears from his eyes. "She's beautiful. Are you sure she's mine? Cause I'm finding it hard to believe I helped make something so perfect as her. Can you tell me everything? Her name? When her birthday is? I wish to know my daughter a little bit more." 

Liz laughed and moved closer to him. "Yes, she's yours. Her name's Kingsley and her birthday is march 15th. She's 14 months now. I don't know much, but right now she loves her swing and her stuffed teddy and hates her vegetables and nap time." 

"Thank you for even having her. Knowing she's in a loving home, helps with the whole situation. I just wish we could've raised her." He smiled down at the picture and then handed it back to Liz. 

"I do too. No, you keep it. I have a bunch more." Rorke nodded and placed the picture in his jacket pocket. "It was my pleasure. Bringing someone else into this world is an amazing feeling." 

Liz laid down and covered herself up with the blanket again. Rorke quickly laid down too and wrapped his arms around. Pulling her into his chest. She snuggled against him and sighed. No one besides them knew who Kingsley father was. If Liz's family found out, she's afraid of what would happen. But she was happy she told Rorke, he deserved to know he had a daughter. Maybe in the near future they would have another one and actually be able to raise the little bundle of joy.


	13. Chapter 13

A few days have past, and they were now back in Caracas. The leader wanted to have a meeting alone with her in a few days. And that terrified her. Liz knew it had something to do with what's going to happen to her. She prayed it wouldn't be bad and that she could stay. She didn't know what she would do if she couldn't. Now she was in Rorke's apartment going through all the pictures she has of their daughter with him. 

She wished she had the stories that went with each picture. It didn't feel right that she couldn't tell him what was going on in the them. Her mind drifted off to the day she gave birth to little Kingsley. Liz was expecting to go through it alone, to her surprise her dad was there. Helping her through each contraction. She spent most of it pacing around the room, letting gravity do it's thing. She remembers Kingsley cries that echoed through the room the moment when she came into this world the most.

Elias never liked, no, he hated the fact that Kingsley was put up for adoption. He mentioned it throughout Liz's pregnancy. Saying that 'they had everything to take care of the child and that Liz should take responsibility for her actions and take care of the child. Not give her up'. If only he knew the truth that Kingsley was Rorke's and not James's like he thinks. He would probably figure that out now. 

Liz sighed and leaned back against the black leather couch. Then she brought her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, curling in on herself. She wanted her, more than her family would ever know. They'll never know what's it like to carry a child for 9 months, feeling the kicks and jabs through a pregnancy. Only to hold your child for a few moments before she goes off to be raised by another couple because Liz knew she couldn't give her daughter the life she deserves. 

She wanted her daughter to be safe and loved. She was grateful she found such an amazing couple, Chris and Sandra Williams. Both in their mid 40's, Chris was a doctor and Sandra was a nurse. They tried for years to have a family, only it never worked out for them. When Liz read their file, she knew these were the right people to take care of her daughter. 

And they were more than happy to agree to the open adoption. Liz just wanted something of her daughter and she got visitation rights, so she could see her every now and then. She watched Rorke go through the pictures and smiling. It felt bittersweet, these would be the only pictures they'll have of Kingsley. They'll never get to see what she'll look like when she gets older. 

Rorke glanced and saw Liz curled in on herself. He put the pictures down on the coffee table and turned to her. He gently placed his hand on her knee, she jerked up and looked at him with glistening eyes. "What's wrong?" 

He moved closer and wrapped his arm around her. She buried herself in his chest and sighed. "A lot." 

"You know I'm here for you honey. You can tell me." He gently lifted her head so she was looking at him. That's when he saw the tears slowly falling down her cheeks. 

"I'm scared. I don't like not knowing what's going to happen to me." She sat up and wiped her eyes. Only for more to fall down. She curled in on herself once more, hiding her head between her knees. Rorke saw her body start to shake and he knew she was silently sobbing. 

He wrapped his arms around her and brought her to his chest. She fists his shirt as she sobbed into it. He held her tight and slowly rocked her. He didn't even know what was going to happen to her and he hated that. He had a feeling she would stay alive, if the leader wanted her dead, she wouldn't have survived no mans land. 

"Nothing is going to take you away from me. Nothing, I'll burn this whole damn world to the ground to make sure you stay by my side. I love you Liz. I will always protect you." His grip around her tightened as the tears pooled down his cheeks. Liz stopped her sobbing and tried to wiggle away a little bit. She finally got free and looked at him. This was the first time he said 'I love you' to her. Liz smiled and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"I love you too. I have always loved you and I will until the day that I die." She leaned over and gave him a chaste kiss. Pulling away she saw the smile of pure happiness on his lips.   
He scanned her face for a brief moment and then crushed their lips back together. Grabbing her by the hips, he lifted her up and placed her on his lap so she was straddling him. His hands ran up and down her body, feeling her curves and smooth skin. His hands stopped on her ass and with a good grip he stood up and made his way towards the bedroom.

_________________________________________

Liz and Rorke were waiting out in the 'waiting room'. It was finally the day the leader wanted to talk to her. Her nerves were skyrocketing and she felt sick to her stomach. She just wanted this over and done with. After what felt like an eternity, someone came and got her. She stood up and gave Rorke a small smile. He smiled in returned and gave her a quick kiss. 

Liz took a deep breath and walked in. When she did, her heart sank. Next to the leaders desk was a pack n' play with Kingsley inside. She wasn't crying and seem okay with the situation for the moment. She glanced from Kingsley to the leader and sat down. 

"I take it her parents are dead?" She furrowed her brows and clenched her hands. 

"Her parent's are quite alive. Adoptive, not so much." He leaned back in his chair with a smirk on his lips. It made Liz furious. 

"What do you want?" She blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. 

"I want you to not fuck things up. Rorke has a job to do, and he doesn't need his little whore distracting him from it. So when I found out you bared him a child, it didn't take long for my men to locate her........"

"You killed her parents so I can take over my parental duties and raise her? Since my time would be spent on raising her than with him." She looked over at little Kingsley who was playing with her stuffed teddy. All of her fears were coming true, she just hopes she can be the mother Kingsley deserves. 

"Yes." He leaned down and grabbed her diaper bag and set it on the desk. "Now take her and go. We'll send the rest of her stuff when we get around to it." 

Liz scoffed and grabbed the diaper bag off his desk and slung it over her shoulder. Then she walked over and smiled down at her. The last time she saw her was a month before her, Logan and Hesh went into no mans land. "Hi sweetheart! Come here." 

She easily picked her up and kissed her forehead. A sigh of relief left her when Kingsley gave her a smile. She still had her stuffed teddy in her hands and then Liz turned and headed for the door. When she got out into the hallway, she walked a few feet before stopping. "You don't deserve this life. But I promise I'll do anything I can to protect you. Now let's go meet your daddy." 

Liz walked back out into the 'waiting room', she saw Rorke's face falter when she walked out with Kingsley on her hip. He slowly walked over as to not startle the little one. Liz could see the tears well up in his eyes as he laid eyes on his daughter for the first time. She leaned up and wiped them away with her thumb and smiled. 

"We have a lot to talk about. Let's go home."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yay, finally an update! I kinda put this on hiatus since I wanted to get at least one of my other fics finished and since that will be happening very soon I decided to update this one. This chapter will be more domestic than action-y. I hope you enjoy and any feedback is always welcomed!

Rorke unlocked the door to their apartment, letting Liz and Kingsley in first. Liz knew it was going to take some time for Kingsley to get use to the situation and it was even worse that they had hardly anything for her. She sighed and walked into the living room to sit down on the couch. Placing Kingsley on her lap. Rorke sat down next to her and placed the diaper bag on the coffee table. 

"We're gonna have to do a lot of shopping." 

"That's fine. She's so beautiful, I can't believe I helped create her." 

Liz smiled over at him. "Yeah you did! I just hope we can be the parents she deserves." 

"It's gonna be hard, we can do it though. What exactly happened in there?" 

Liz sighed. She stared at her daughter for a moment. Her curly brown hair was just below her earlobe. She just now noticed she was still in her pajamas. So when the Federation went and got her it was during the night. She would need to change her into cooler clothes before they left the house. 

"Someone overheard us when I told you about her. Whoever that was told that douche-bag of a leader. So he sent a small group down to kill her adoptive parents and bring her here. Can't have your little whore getting in the way." 

"Fucking Christ. We'll get what our daughter needs now and figure things out later." 

Liz nodded. "That sounds good. Can you see if she has a change of clothes. I don't want her in these the hotter it gets." 

Rorke nodded and opened up the diaper bag. He pulled out a bunch of diapers which was good, they would need to buy a lot more when they went out though. Wipes, different variety of snacks, a sippy cup, and finally a few pairs of clothes. He laid them out for Liz to look at. 

"I think the baby blue leggings and the navy blue shirt with the whale on it will work." 

"Okay." He handed the clothes to Liz and put the rest in the diaper bag. Leaving the wipes and a few diapers out. "So what will we need?" 

"The essentials, crib, clothes, diapers, wipes, shoes and toys. We should also pick up some more sippy cups and pacifiers too." 

Rorke nodded, then turned his attention on the little girl on Liz's lap. She looks so much like Liz. Same facial features and everything. Only he could see what she got from him. Her curly dark brown hair, and her lips were identical to his. And she had beautiful toffee colored eyes. 

Becoming a father wasn't something he wanted, or even thought was plausible. Hell the consequences of having unprotected sex never even crossed his mind. All he cared about was the young Corporal snuggled up next to him post-coitus. Now that he was looking at his own flesh and blood he was beyond grateful he was blessed with his unplanned miracle. 

"Sounds good. It's a good thing we live in a 2 bedroom apartment." 

"Yeah. I want her in with us for at least a week. To give her time to get use to living in a new place with people she hardly knows." 

Liz was intrigued on how parenthood would suit them both. Neither had any practice with children, toddlers that is. Liz would play with some of the younger children in Santa Monica when she was off duty. Older children were easy, they could talk, tell you what they wanted or didn't. 

A 14 month old is different. She's just learning to talk, she can't tell Liz and Rorke how she feels or what she wants. In a way it made Liz feel terrified, almost just as bad as the day she was captured by the Federation. People always said that your maternal instincts will come out once you have a child. Does that still happen when you haven't raised the child since birth? Liz would soon find out. 

"That's fine. Do you think she'll let me hold her?"

"Hold your hands out like you are about to hold her." 

"Why?" 

"If she leans towards you she wants you to hold her, if she doesn't then just wait a little longer." 

"Oh okay." 

Liz watched as he held his arms out to her. Kingsley glanced from his hands up to his face. They waited patiently to see what she would do. Her little face scrunched in uncertainty not sure about the man before her. After a few long seconds she did in fact lean forward. Rorke beamed when she wanted him, and he easily picked her up and sat her on his lap. 

"Hi princess." 

Kingsley looked up at him, then smiled. It marveled them both on how fast she was getting use to him. Liz moved closer to them, carefully watching the scene unfold in front of her. 

"Is that your daddy Kingsley?" 

She nodded, then leaned her little head against his stomach. It was such an innocent gesture, but the way Rorke's face beamed made it so much better. 

xXx

After an exhausting day filled with shopping and more shopping Liz was happy to be home. Rorke was getting things set up, like the high-chair, and some of her toys they got her. The crib was going to wait until tomorrow, so as a back up they bought a pack-n-play for her to sleep in tonight. 

Kingsley was sitting on the floor playing with some blocks while Liz was on the couch looking through what they bought her. She kinda went overboard with the clothes, but she didn't care. Rorke was just about done blowing up Kingsley train ball pit. Liz picked it up on a whim, it was cute though with all the little animals on the side. And it could occupy Kingsley for a bit. 

She seemed to noticed it was almost done, cause she dropped the block in her hand then walked over to him. Liz stopped looking through everything to watched them. It filled her heart seeing Rorke being a father. The way his eyes lit up every time he looked at her made her happy. Kingsley placed her little hand on his shoulder and pointed at the train.   
"Hi my princess. Do you want to go in?" 

She nodded and the proceeded on trying to get herself in to the train looking ball pit. It was cute to see her so determined to do it herself. Eventually she gave up and plopped down on the floor next to Rorke. Liz couldn't help but laugh. That's when Rorke picked her up and set her in it. 

He shut off the pump and made sure no air was escaping. When he thought it was good he moved over to where Liz was. They watched her in silence for a bit. Seeing her bounce up and down with a big toothy grin on her face was priceless. He intertwined their hands together, making Liz glance from their hands to his face. 

"I never thought I'd be a father and now that I am, the only thing I want to do is protect her. Do you have any clue on how we're gonna do that?" 

"Yes. We kill the leader."


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan on updating this a little more frequently now, but who knows it all has to do with the inspiration. But I hope you enjoy!

“Liz no, that’s too dangerous. We’ll find some other way.” 

She didn’t look at him, she kept her attention on their daughter jumping around in her ball pit. The big smile on the little ones face was pulling at her heartstrings. Kingsley had no idea about the hell she was brought into and she deserves a good life. 

“I don’t care how dangerous it is. He can call me a whore and threaten to kill me hundreds of time, but he brought our daughter into this. You know he’s gonna use me and her as leverage right? We’re not just Liz and Gabriel anymore, we’re parents, her parents. We have to do everything we can to protect her from that asshole.” 

Rorke sighed, glancing over to Kingsley like Liz did a few minutes ago. This wasn’t an easy predicament. 

“How would we do it?” 

Kingsley saw her parents talking and decided to crawl out of her ball pit and walk over to them. She plopped down on Liz’s lap with a blue ball in her hand and a smile on her face. 

Liz quickly wrapped her arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “I love you my sweetheart. And we can talk about the other part later.” 

He nodded, then smiled at Kingsley. “I’m still wrapping my heart around the fact that she’s my flesh and blood. It’s crazy. How did you feel, truthfully about being pregnant?” 

“At first, shock.” A small chuckle escaped her lips and she shook her head. “Everything happened so fast when I got there. I was captured, then 2 days later I’m in your bed. And the last thing on my mind was protection.” 

Liz sighed, glancing down to see Kingsley trying to bite the blue plastic ball that was way too big to fit in her mouth. “I wouldn’t have had her if she wasn’t yours.” 

Shock and happiness started to etch onto his features. “Really?” 

“Yes, really! You suffered so much from my father and I know how miserable you are. In a weird way it felt like I needed to bring her into this world.” 

“You didn’t need to, but I’m happy you did.”   
She leaned over, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “We can have more if you want?”

“Let’s deal with the leader first.” 

“Okay.” 

xXx

Liz was trying to calm a tired and crying Kingsley. She knew the first few nights would be hard on the little one and knew she probably wouldn’t get much sleep. She paced back and forth with her in her arms, gently bouncing her up and down. 

“It’s okay baby, I know you’re tired and cranky. And it can’t be easy being thrown into something like this with people you hardly know. But things will get better, I promise.” 

She closed her eyes and sighed. That statement was more for herself than Kingsley, but when she stopped crying she opened her eyes to look at her. Her little tear stained face was looking at her, all curious. Liz wiped the few tears that were still on her cheek and kissed the top of her head. 

She set Kingsley down on the bed where Gabriel was and sat down herself. Kingsley turned to Gabriel and let out a big sigh. 

“Hi princess.” She crawled over to him and laid down. Gabriel looked at Liz after she did that, a small smile on his face. Then she crawled into bed next to them. “Maybe she just wanted to be in bed with mom and dad.” 

“I think so to since she’s already asleep.” She pointed down at the little one all zonked out and chuckled. “We should sleep too, I’m sure we’re gonna be up early.” 

Gabriel nodded, and leaned over a bit to give Liz a quick kiss. Then they were out like a light. 

xXx

Liz rubbed her tired eyes as she walked out of their bedroom after putting down Kingsley for a nap. It was only 9 in the morning and the little one passed out on the floor while playing with some toys. Besides it didn’t help that they’ve been up since 5 in the morning and only got a few hours of sleep. Hopefully the nap will help with things. 

She saw Gabriel brewing a pot of coffee as she walked into the living room, walking over to wait for it to be done. She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. 

“Luckily she didn’t wake up when I set her down so hopefully she’ll sleep a few hours.” 

“Fingers crossed or we’ll have a cranky toddler on our hands.” He chuckled, but when he saw the sadness etched on Liz’s face it quickly faded. “Are you okay?” 

She sighed and fiddled with her hands. “Kind of. I know this is a long shot but, I was thinking about asking my dad for help.” 

“Do you think he would really help?” 

“No!” She scrubbed a hand down her face, sighing. “You know when I confessed everything to him I could tell he was more angry that I slept with you than betraying him and our country.” 

“It’s fine Liz, we’ll come up with something. We’re fighters.” 

“We shouldn’t be, we shouldn’t have to figure out what to do to keep our daughter and us alive.” She sighed again and scrubbed a hand down her face. “It’s not fair.” 

He walked over to her - bringing her into his arms. She rest her head on his chest as her arms wrapped around his waist. “I know it’s not, we’ve had to deal with more shit than any normal person. But if we never went through all the shit we have, we might not have met and that means we wouldn’t have our daughter.” 

Liz looked up at him, blinking her eyes a few times. “That’s true, I never thought about it that way. In a weird way I already feel like I failed as a mother. I put her up for adoption to keep her safe and I failed.” 

“None of us knew this was going to happen, and you didn’t fail Liz, she’s alive and that’s what counts.” He looked down at her, then kissed her forehead. 

She backed away after that to grab herself a cup of coffee, hoping the caffeine will do some good. Once she got her cup she went into the living room and sat on the couch, followed by Gabriel minutes later. 

He set his cup on the coffee table, then looked over at Liz. “Can I ask you something?”

She nodded, then took a sip of her coffee. “I know you said you put Kingsley up for adoption to keep her safe. Deep down I feel like there’s more to the story.” 

Liz sighed, setting her cup down next to his on the coffee table. “There is. I was afraid, not about being a mom but because of who her father is. I was afraid that once my family found out you were alive and put two and two together, I thought they wouldn’t want her.” 

“So to completely ditch that scenario you put her up for adoption? That might have never happened though.” 

She could sense the anger in his voice which she didn’t understand. Kingsley was living with them now, she’s in their lives so why is the adoption a sudden issue? 

“You’re right, it might not have. But I couldn’t just sit by and watch my own daughter get neglected by her uncles and grandfather, how would I be able to explain that to her? Why is the adoption such an issue right now?” 

“It’s not.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sometimes I think you don’t really want her.” 

Liz narrowed her eyes, it felt like the wind was knocked out of her. “Don’t you dare say that I didn’t want her. I had to go through the pregnancy, feeling her kicks and jabs only to go through the pain of labor to bring her into this fucked up world. But the hardest part of it all, I only got to hold her for 5 minutes before she was brought to her adoptive parents so they could bond with her. I wanted her more than you could ever know.” 

Gabriel looked away, his eyes averting to the coffee table in front of him. “Liz….I I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” 

“Of course you didn’t know, you weren’t there. You didn’t have to go through months hearing my dad telling me I should take responsibility for my actions and raise her, not give her up. I had to go through every fiber in my body telling me it was wrong to give her up…….now it doesn’t matter, she’s here.” 

The sound of small feet pitter patting on the wooden floor made them look in the direction of the bedrooms. Kingsley was slowly walking out into the living room with her teddy in one arm. Liz cursed under her breath for being loud and waking her up, but was happy she wasn’t crying. 

Kingsley walked over to Liz with her free arm raised to be picked up. She smiled down at her, then easily picked her up - setting her on her lap. She had a slight case of bedhead that made Liz chuckle. It was cute seeing her hair in every which direction. 

Gabriel looked over at them, locking eyes with Liz. He could see the hurt and uncertainty in her eyes, making him feel guilty about what he said. He knows he should be, hell he shouldn’t have questioned if she wanted their daughter or not. Of course she does, she wouldn’t have had her otherwise. 

“Liz….” 

“Not now, we can talk later.” 

He heard the anger in her voice that made him slightly recoil and all he could was nod.


End file.
